Finder Keepers
by bookworm1999
Summary: Update! CLOIS, Lois finds THE bracelet, unleashing its power on her and Clark. Season 5
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **_Smallville belongs to the WB, I only own my dreams and imagination._**

**Summary:** **_Lois finds something that turns the whole world of Smallville upside down, making Lois very attached to Clark, but not the way we want it to, at least not yet..._**

**Spoilers:** **_This is a little AU, after Arrival, Clark doesn't lose his powers cuz Jor-El gave him a week to come back. Clark does pursue his relationship with Lana and got rid of the Kriptonians, sending them to the phantom zone. Okay, I think I have the background laid out, in case of any other inconsistencies, let me know. Oh, and since he still has his powers, he got to Chloe before Lex did, bringing her back to Smallville._**

**AN: _I know I should be updating my other stories, but this idea hasn't left me alone for a while now, so as a consolation I updated_ To Love... _first, so bare with me and please review!_**

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Clark looked across the fence to his destroyed home. He drove the truck all the way in, stopping the truck right in front of the house. He then noticed movement inside the debris, several people then came into view, all working on something in the house. 

"You didn't have to call for help." He told his parents.

"We didn't" Martha replied, just as surprised as he was. Clark got out and helped his mom out, although only Martha had broken something, Jonathan was weaker than he would admit.

At that moment a soldier walked out of the house, giving orders to the carpenters on the roof.

"Lois" Clark muttered, while Martha and Jonathan just smiled. "Wait here, let me check it out." He then walked straight up to the soldier. "Is Lois here?" he asked

"Ms. Lane is upstairs; the ladder is in the living room." The green clad soldier informed him.

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The room that had been hers for the last couple months was a disaster. Meteorites hadn't hit it directly, and the supports it was on were also unaffected, making it the only room left half standing in the second floor: but the walls had fallen completely, the contents of the drawers and closet were on the floor, mixed with the debris.

She picked up a piece of clothing and frowned, along with the jacket she also lifted up the piece of wood that had pierced it.

"Are you sure this is the safest thing you could do?" Clark said climbing up the ladder and stepping onto the room, not before making sure it would hold his weight.

"This meteor shower is going to bring back the 80's, I can't find a single piece of clothing that isn't ripped or its match destroyed." She said, completely ignoring his statement. She didn't even face him, still concentrated in salvaging what she could of her belongings.

"I thought you had packed already, I figured you'd be halfway across the Atlantic by now." He looked around the room, his bed had broken in half, a heavy beam in the middle of it.

"Yeah, well, I had packed, some stuff. I was going to get everything else after graduation, but you know how that went." At times like these she really wished the procrastinator part of her personality hadn't survived boot camp.

"By the way Kent, have you seen Chloe? I haven't found her and last I knew of her she was looking for Lana." She finally turned to face him, waiting for an answer.

"When I went to see Lana, I found her in the hall. She was worried about you, but I told her you were fine and she went home." The fib exited his mouth so easily, he didn't even blink.

"Glad she's okay then," She said offhandedly, something catching her eye. She bent down besides the fallen closet door, picking something up. "Very interesting" Her tone had changed dramatically.

Realizing he still had stuff of his in the room he began to shift to get a glimpse of what she had found.

She kept her back to him and started chuckling.

"I don't like it when you laugh like that. If its mine I want it back." He closed the space between them, looking over her shoulder to see what was in her hand.

She quickly turned and put her hand behind her. A satisfied smile on her face, her left eyebrow raised in amusement.

"I hardly think its yours, besides the fact that you have absolutely no sense of fashion, it doesn't go with you." Her nose scrunched up, taunting him.

His mind was going through all the stuff that he owned, trying to figure out what she could have found.

"Unless the closet also stores away a side of you we have yet to see." She was really having fun.

His eyes first played confusion, then grew wide at the implication.

"Lois." His voice grew low, trying to scare her. He should've known better.

"Seriously Smallville, did you steal this or did some girl give this to you? Cuz either way, I mean, loser or perv." She finally reached behind her back and dangled her discovery in front of him.

His eyes grew sad, then anger filled inside of him as he saw Kyla's bracelet in Lois' hand. She had no right.

Lois knew then she had pushed a wrong button. She reached for his hand and placed the bracelet on his open palm.

"Here, this obviously means something. . ."

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, what felt like a surge of energy passed through her. She looked up at Clark, his face was contorted in pain, not knowing what was going on. An energy field was then released from their hands, pushing them apart and sending them flying out of the safety of the room floor.

Clark landed on the backyard. He quickly looked around to make sure no one had noticed his fall, when he heard a crash coming from the house.

Lois.

By the time he reached her she was already surrounded by several of the carpenters. She had wood splinters all over her, her face was bleeding.

"Clark! What happened?" Jonathan had reached them as well, Martha following close behind in crutches.

He was at a loss of words, especially with so many strangers around. Martha and Jonathan immediately understood it had something to do with their long kept secret.

Jonathan then cleared out the carpenters, giving Clark a chance to check her pulse.

Lois stirred, moving her face towards Clark.

"What happened Kent?" She spoke, turning away from him to get up.

"You fell from the room, I told you it was dangerous. You really shouldn't move." He hoped she didn't remember what had happened.

But she did.

"I'm fine, I just hit my head really bad. What the hell?" She was about to push herself off the floor when a broken mirror reflecting her upper torso made her stop.

Clark looked at the mirror as well, shock covering his face.

"What the hell is this?" She turned to them pointing to her chest.

Her shirt had been torn showing her undershirt, which was cut lower than usual revealing a marking low in the middle of her chest laying just above her cleavage.

He looked at the bracelet he had in his hand then at Lois again.

No way.

The design that a while ago was on the bracelet was gone and now was imprinted on Lois's chest.

"You have a lot of explaining to do Clark Kent."


	2. Chapter 2

**Its so much easier to start a story huh? well it is for me, these next chapters are to get the story going, then I don't know how long my muse will stay, so enjoy this and tell me what you think.**** Thanks so much for your reviews, keep them coming!**

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"Don't move." Martha chided Lois as she tried to clean the nasty cut and bruise on the left side of her face and arm. 

"I am fine!" She retorted, it hurt like hell, but she wasn't going to admit it, besides, she had several question to ask the cereal box family.

Since she had insisted on not being taken to the hospital, Clark carried her against her will and took her to the barn, where Martha caught up with them with some cotton and alcohol. She had been lucky to find her first aid kit unharmed.

"Thanks and all Mrs. Kent, but really, I'm fine." She swatted away the older woman's hand. "Right now I need answers, you still haven't said anything-"

"And I won't explain anything to you unless you are fully stitched up" Clark said in a final tone.

Lois's eye grew wide with indignation at being black mailed, then she jumped up from the bay of hay she was sitting on. Before her feet hit the ground Clark was besides her, holding her arm. She looked up in questioning right before she felt the blood rush to her head, making her dizzy and forcing her to lean into his arm.

He sat her back down, She looked up at him, ready to tell him just where to stick it, when she saw a flash of confusion cross his eyes. He quickly covered it, but not fast enough.

"What just happened here?" or had she imagined it? She sighed loudly, and rolled her eyes, as if making up her mind about something.

"Fine, Mrs. K you can clean me up while M here lets me in on this." She let her fingers graze the symbol on her chest. Martha didn't waste any time and began cleaning her scratches.

"M?" Clark asked, in part to put off whatever he was going to come up with and also because for once he did not fully know why she had chosen that nickname.

"James Bond? His -" She shut her eyes when she felt Martha pulling a splinter from her cheek.

"I recognize the reference Lois; I just don't understand what it has to do with me."

She took a deep breath, not willing to let her pain show.

"His boss, telling him what needed to be done, but not always letting him in on the bigger picture." She stared pointedly at him.

"So you're what? A Bond girl?" He smirked, knowing full well that wasn't the case.

"No actually, I consider myself more like Bond himself, a Bond girl was my other choice for you. Now stop baiting me and tell me why I felt like a moving wall threw me off the bedroom, why you didn'tget hurtand why I have this thing between by boobs."

Jonathan and Martha blinked at her choice of words and looked at each other.

"Its not… precisely… between-" Clark was trying so hard to make a comeback, but his mind had too much of a vivid image of her assets to let him concentrate.

"Shut up Smallville before you find my foot between your a-"

"Lois!" Martha chided while simultaneously pressed a cotton ball drenched in alcohol against her scratched skin.

Lois flinched and sat quiet, but her eyes were screaming at him to explain.

"Fine, I don't know much myself Lois, so be patient."

"Great" she mumbled.

"Kyra was a friend, when she died she gave me this bracelet." He sighed, he didn't want to tell her what it meant. "She was a native from these lands, from the Kawatche tribe. The only thing that I can guess is that this bracelet involved some magic ritual or curse that you unleashed by touching it." He knew it sounded lame, but even he knew that what had happened was either due to Kawatche magic or Kryptonian artifacts.

"You're holding out one me, I can feel it." She really could, it was as if his eyes suddenly became an open book for her. She felt a sharp pain at her side, Martha was pulling her shirt up, uncovering a large purple bruise.

"We should really get you to a hospital, you could have a broken rib." Jonathan offered.

"I can breathe fine, which means no broken ribs." She turned back to Clark. "So you're telling me this symbol is magical and it got transferred to me because we touched it, cause it was both of us buddy, I had that thing in my hand before any throwing around happened. I felt like I was being electrocuted the minute I handed you that bracelet."

"That is as much as I can explain, I'll look for Joseph, he was her grandfather, I'm sure he will be able to tell me what's happening."

"Fine, just let your mom here finish up and we'll go look for this guy." Her tone didn't leave space for argument.

"Who says you're going?"

"One, you are not telling me the whole truth, so maybe this Joe dude can. Two, I fell from the second floor on a pile of splinters, so I deserve to know everything. And three, I'm the one with the tattoo, Lana may have sat around for the clues on hers to come to her, but I'm not Lana." She crossed her arms, forgetting her bruised arm, causing her to flinch visibly. She swallowed her pain and did not uncross them.

"It's not that easy-" he started, staring down at the bracelet in his hands.

"Look, I'm sorry, I had no idea that mean so much, and much less that it was going to give me a needle less tattoo." Her tone softened dramatically. "I have seen death before, but having someone die in your arms." She shivered at the thought.

Clark's head snapped up.

"What did you say?" Lois stared at him confused.

"That I was sorry, I know I don't do that much, actually, never is more like it-"

"No, about someone dying in my arms?"

"Yeah, Kyla. She died in your arms right?"

"Yes, but I never told you that." His tone was short and clipped.

At that Martha stopped her care of Lois's bruise and cast a confused and worried look at Jonathan.

"Yes you did, up in the bedroom." Right? She asked herself.

"No, I didn't."

Her mind went into a swirl, come to think of it, she had known of Lana's tattoo, but not of its origin. So how come she knew that now?

The combination of repressing her physical pain and the confusion that was now lodged in her brain suddenly became a bad combination.

She blinked hard as her surrounding became blurry, she felt strong arms envelop her beforethe images in her eyes turned a deafening black, sending her into oblivion.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay! Here's another update, If its any consolation chapter 4 is halfway written, so I don't think you will have to wait this long for the next one. Read on and enjoy!**

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The fogginess and silence slowly lifted, the sounds around her become clear. She could hear a low hum of noises and light filtered through her eyelids. A feeling of relief and guilt hit her; not as her own, but like something she picked up. 

"She's awake"

"How can you possibly know?"

"I'll explain later"

"You talked to Joseph then?"

She scrunched up her face, the voices seemed too loud to her, making her head hurt.

That's when the smell hit her, alcohol, chlorine and a tinge of that indistinguishable mystery hospital smell.

"Ooh shit." she heard herself say, and then forced her heavy eyelids open. Clark and Martha came into her view. She rolled her eyes then put a hand to her head. She was in the hospital and as a patient nonetheless.

The small space surrounding her bed was outlined by curtains and there was a loud hum of activity that the thin curtains did nothing to keep out of her space. She was in the ER and she couldn't help but feel a mix of relief and anger. She was angry at the Kents for having brought her here, but was grateful she wasn't in a room.

"I said I was fine." She struggled to sit up, Clark moved in to help her but she put up her hand to stop him. "You have done enough thank you." She sighed when she finally achieved a sitting position, her head throbbing and her body aching. She hadn't realized the fall had taken such a heavy toll on her. She looked at the two in front of her, neither of them portraying a shed of regret they should be feeling for having brought her here. Clark felt guilty, but it wasn't because of that.

"Lois, you fainted dear." Martha said matter-of-factly.

"Right, nothing a little rest and water won't fix, is there any water here? See, at least at the farm there was water, how is this any better?" The smell was asphyxiating her now; she needed to get out of there

"I'll go get some dear" Martha stepped out before Lois could complain.

"I can get some myself. Tell your mom thanks, but no thanks" She smiled and moved her legs over the bed. Clark removed the step with his foot.

"Kent." She decided to stare him down.

"Not going to happen, Lane." He crossed his arm over his broad chest.

"Is there something you want to tell me Smallville, cuz you can do that outside this place." She took a deep breath, regaining her strength.

"I sympathize, but I'm not letting you go until the doctor gets back and releases you." He stepped closer to the bed, afraid she might want to jump off.

"Fine, are we going to go see that friend of yours after this? I have a plane to catch in…, Oh no, what time is it?" She had no idea how much time had gone by and the last thing she needed was to end up as General Lane's practice target.

"You still have two hours." He said not taking her eyes off her.

"Oh, okay. Wait. How did you know that?" Her hand went to her new acquired marking "Can you read my mind?" Even as she said it, the ridiculousness of it hit her, but the possibility did not escape her mind.

He chuckled and looked down.

"No Lois, I can't read your mind, with what I can read from you is enough." He looked up a serious look took over his face, having reminded himself of the situation they were both in. "I found your ticket sticking out of your purse; I wanted to make sure you made that flight."

She was reminded too, and she sat deep in thought for the next couple seconds, not even giving importance to the fact that he had looked through her purse.

"What can you read then?" she asked, partly forgetting where she was. "I can't read your mind either, but when that lightning thing hit us, I saw things, like images, and it wasn't my life flashing through my eyes, more like yours I guess." She had remembered that right before she blacked out.

He sighed and looked down, not sure what to say and how much of it to say. Joseph had encouraged him to explain it to her, since she would eventually figure it out herself.

"I talked to Joseph." He started, disbelief washed over her and he could relate. "I reached him over the phone, he was in Metropolis." He was lying, and now he knew that she knew, but it would have to stay that way, he wasn't about to tell her he sped to where he was and was back in less than half an hour.

"Whatever you have to tell yourself, but you did speak to him so spill." She supported her arms on the bed and leaned forward.

"Here's the water, and the Doctor." Martha walked in with a white clad man behind her. She had known he would have trouble keeping her in the hospital, so she let the doctor know she had awaken.

They both looked up, Lois was only a little annoyed at the interruption, since her ticket out had come in and Clark couldn't help but feel relief.

"I feel fine, Doc, you seem to have done a fine job patching me up so I can leave, right? I'm sure that with this tragedy this bed will be better used than on me." She lifted her eyebrows and smiled tightly.

"Yes Ms. Lane, you are free to go, Mrs. Kent has already filled out the release form, so you can be on your way. Take care now." And with that he was gone.

Silence filled the space, neither occupant sure of what would happen next. Martha reacted first, handing Lois the cup of water. She drank it quickly and sighed, the cool water feeling good in her dry mouth.

"Kent, do you mind?" She stared pointedly at him. He looked confused for a second, and then he remembered. He slipped the step back within her reach. Martha helped her down.

"Thanks Mrs. Kent. Now can we get out of here?" She insisted on walking without help, Martha and Kent each on her side. "Where's Mr. Kent?" She now became aware of his absence.

"He had me take back to the house, we couldn't all be with you and he figured he could be more useful back there." Martha explained as they got in the elevator.

"So Smallville, what did Joseph tell you about this." She didn't lose a beat.

Clark took a deep breath. The doors closed, only carrying the three of them.

"The cliff note version, please, straight to the facts." She encouraged him.

"Okay, easy enough I guess. You saw images of my life right?" she nodded "and you can read my feelings," she nodded slowly, so that's what it was. "I can read your feelings too, but I can also read what you feel physically, that's how I knew you felt sick and were about to faint."

"And that she was awake" joined Martha, understanding somewhat.

"Okay, that much I had half figured out, but why Einstein?" she stared at him intently, focusing completely on him.

"Don't do that." He felt the full force of her pressure.

"Then don't lie." She responded.

Martha stared at both of them, not seeing what they obviously did on each other. The doors opened with a ring.

Neither of them moved, the elevator started filling up with people. The doors began to close and Martha jumped into action. She grabbed Clark's hand, knowing Lois would follow and placed her back against the closing doors, making them open again. Clark released his hand and followed her out, Lois tagged along behind him.

They drove back in silence, dropped Martha off and went to Chloe's for what Lois had managed to pack before the meteor shower.

Clark parked on the driveway besides the red beetle.

"I'm sure you can handle it from here." Clark said, reaching over and opening the door on her side.

Lois laughed, never had his eagerness to get rid of her been so amusing.

"You aren't going anywhere Clark Kent." She emphasized his full name. "You are taking me to the airport, you will tell me everything about this, and leave nothing out, because as you know now, I will know when you lie and I will not let you go until I get the truth." She stared at him, then turned and closed her door, planting herself firmly on the seat.

Clark frowned.

"I'm not stupid smallville. Will you please go get my luggage?" She said sweetly, smiling to add to the effect.

He huffed, knowing he had no way out. He climbed out of the truck. Lois watched his back as he neared the front door.

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**You didn't think I'd give it away that quickly did you:) Now let me know how this was.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy my inspiration on this one guys! Read and review!**

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Silence had never been so loud.

One would never think that was possible, but then again for someone who had been in Smallville for almost a year and seen all that she had, she shouldn't have been surpised.

It wasn't just the loudness of it that surprised her, but how she seemed to not want it to end, for it offered her the one thing that she hadn't seen very well acomplished by speaking: information on Clark Kent.

She had always prided herself in figuring people out and he had been the one that always got away. She nailed him sometimes, but the times she didn't bothered her more than she would admit. It wasn't that she needed or even wanted to now everything about him, goodness he didn't even care for the guy, but there was something about him, like a puzzle, that was begging to be solved, or at least understood.

Then the heavens had opened and dropped the key on her lap.

Okay, at first she hadn't thought of this connection she suddenly had with him as a blessing, but now, sitting in the passenger seat of his truck, remembering the images she had seen and reading his current feelings – which were, much to her amusement, nervousness and insecurity – she realized she could definetly look on the bright side. She was in front of what she had thought of as an unsolvable puzzle, no one could blame her for diving into it after receiving the one piece that put it all together.

Or would, eventually.

She was filled with determenation and sat as absolutely still as possible and let his feeling wash over her.

Nervousness

Why? Was this permanent, was she afraid of her reaction? She mulled over it for a second.

Insecurity

Well, that seemed to define him most of the time, less lately she had to admit, but still so readable even without her current abilities.

Guilt

That had been a constant since this had all started not giving away to anything. Was he seriously so self centered that he thought all this his fault? She turned her faced and looked at him. He didn't seem self centered, but his actions had always made her think that, his feelings weren't telling her much different.

"Why do you do that?" "Stop doing that"

They broke the silence simultanously.

"Stop doing what?" "Do what?"

They retorted at the same time then fell silent. Clark opened his mouth to speak, then closed it when Lois touched his shoulder.

"I'll go first okay" She patted him then retrieved her hand to place it on her lap.

"I was about to say the same thing." He murmured.

"Good, then its settled. What did you want me to stop?" his question gaining over her own, at least for now.

He shrugged. "It felt like you were seizing me up, like you were staring, without the need to use your eyes, it was unnerving."

"Ergo the insecurity and nervousness, but now we go to what I was going to ask you first. Why the guilt smallville? Since this started that is the one thing that hasn't changed in your demenour, guilt. This isn't your fault, why do you act like everything that's wrong with the world is your fault?" She turned and looked at his profile. A muscle twitched in his jaw and his face became unreadeble, but inside he was filled with sadness, desperation and loneliness, like the kind one feels when they know themselves to be so different, no one will ever understand.

"Oh, come on, how can it possibly be your fault? Don't think that highly of yourself." But even she was taken back, his face she had seen hundreds of times, but now knowing his feelings, she didn't know what to think.

Clark took this opportunity to ask some questions of his own, hoping for the attention to de drawn away from him, and why not? Finally get some answers on Lois Lane.

"Hate to break it to you, but you are no different." Lois looked questioningly at him. "Yeah, this morning you were scared out of your wits and in pain, then in the hospital you were horrified, like you were in the very pit of hell or something, and now despite of everything you are so insecure of what will happen with us and with the prospect of going to the trouble of finding your sister that its a wonder you are even functioning. But that would be what a normal personal would feel, but since I've met you you've done nothing to let us commoner know you were capable of such fears, why? Why hide it? Do you think yourself so important that you feel you have to be the strong one?" He fell silent, knowing by the quick beating of her heart that his tirade had gotten to her. He took a deep breath "You hate feeling exposed, just as I do, maybe in different ways, but the bottomline is the same. You care therefore you hide, same goes for me I guess."

They fell silent yet again, Lois looking out the window, suddenly finding the gold fiels to the side of the road attetion worthy; Clark just stared at the road ahead of him. They both let out a deep breath, unaware they had even been holding it, somehow worthy of what had happened.

She felt a bit more at ease, somehow knowing he understood on some level but wasn't prying to know the why made her reasons become a little less important to her, not quite ready to share, but less of a giant in her mind.

Amazingly enough the effect on him was even greater and she felt it. His guilt lessened, not ready to dissapear, but giving him more breathing space. She only had that day to compare and had no way of knowing that the pressure he felt removed was of years and years of knowing who he was and not being at peace with it.

"So what did Joe tell you? How long is this going to last?" She broke the silence, her curiosity never one to give away that easily.

"Joe? Oh, Joseph" He had to fight the urge he had of rolling his eyes at her innate inability of using given names. "He did confirm that this was indian magic, apparently very old magic so he didn't know much of it. He said that bracelet was one of a kind, the magic was never repeated, making it even harder to research. He did tell me he would look into it and that as far as he knew it wasn't permanent."

"So had this happened before? I mean if the bracelet if so old a lot of people could have touched it. It was in his tribe wasn't it? They'll know." She refused to believe they were at the mercy of unknown elements.

But Clark knew better. He knew who that symbol signified and knew better than to believe this could have happened to anyone else but himself, Lois maybe, but not him.

He refused to believe that symbol was meant for her, because that would only mean... he shook his head.

"What?" she asked sensing his disbelief and denial, oh and he had shaken his head.

"Nothing, just the Joseph said this could be highly unpredictable, we have to know we can expect pretty much anything. I don't know exactly what that means, but I don't like it. Maybe the fact that we'll be so far apart can help." It was lame, he knew, but it was hope nonetheless.

She had thought of that too, but he was just telling her that this could be unpredictable, what was that supposed to mean?

She looked ahead, A small set of building appearing over the horizons. It wasn't Metropolis, but it was the city that was going to get her out of the country and away from Clark Kent.

Maybe it was a good thing, but she couldn't help but wonder what she would miss.

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Okay guys, trivia! There is an inconsistency in my story so far (there's probably more, but this one is pretty obvious), its pretty big, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. First one to find it get an exclusive on this story, with the right to ask three questions about it. Once it is found I will fix it, because then it will bother you as much as it did me. Don't forget to review! 


	5. Chapter 5

**I know its short, but its something for all you fans not to lose hope or faith on me. I'll try to keep them coming, even if they are short. :)**

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Relief.

He felt it, she felt it, who felt it first was anybody's guess. As much as she was willing to try this to her advantage she needed a clear head for what was coming to her in London, she didn't need Clark Kent's feeling inside her head, hers were enough.

Clark was just glad this new connection didn't have mind reading abilities, but was still worried about the images she had said she saw. How much had she seen? Would it be enough for her to figure out his secret? He had been afraid to ask, lest his questions made her ask more question of her own. Deep inside him he knew that if this lasted a minute too long, his secret would be in the hands of Lois Lane, he wasn't to sure he liked that idea.

"Is it you or me?" She looked at the airport gate, then turned her face to him.

He smiled from ear to ear. "Probably both of us" she couldn't help herself, she smiled back.

"Bye" She let the smile linger before she turned and walked away. The smile on his face died just as soon as she had turned. He blinked as a strange sensation filled his chest, quickly covering his whole body. He stared at her retreating form and shook his head.

Not in a hundred years.

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Lights flashed rapidly making his eyes hurt, the loud noises hurt the baby's ears. A loud wail escaped his lips, little by little gaining momentum until it became a shout.

"Shh, everythings okay little one." Blue eyes met the soft voice in his view, he took short breaths, his crying subsiding, only on the condition that she would pick him up. His arms up in request.

She took him in her arms and hugged him to her chest. "Everything will be all right for you my son."

"Lara, there's not much time left." A strong voice called out. She gave the baby a kiss, his tears dried on his cheeks.

He was placed softly in a metal cradle two very different faces coming into his view.

The woman's eyes were shiny, the man hugged her hurridly.

"He'll be great among them Lara."

"But he won't have us." The man smiled sadly as he placed a crystalline device on the side of the cradle.

"He will always have us." The metal around the baby seemed to come to life, lights turned on around the small child as a shield suddenly formed around him, closing him in until it was completly dark except for the lighted images that were now all around him.

Her eyes flew open as she sat straight up in her seat. She looked around, expecting to see those strange images she could still see when she closed her eyes.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?" she turned to her left, an old lady looked at her with concern. Lois looked around her, the low hum of the airplane engine and the hum of people taking over her senses. This she understood.

"Fine, bad dream." She smiled and slumped back in her seat. She took a deep breath. That hadn't been a dream, she had seen that before, in parts, but it hadn't been as real as she had seen it now.

_Damn you Clark Kent, what the hell was that?_ She thought, needing to get it out of her system, even if she didn't want to voice it.

"What was what? Lois?"

She froze. It wasn't possible. She slowly stood and looked around.

"Clark?" She whispered. Maybe he was playing a prank, maybe she was going crazy.

"Lois? Where are you? Stop hiding."

_It's an airplane moron, not much hiding places here. _she rolled her eyes at his insanity. What the hell was he doing here?

"Clark" She said it louder now.

"Airplane? Oh sh -" his voice was loud and clear.

No, she got up from her seat, looking at every seat, searching for him. She froze the second time in the last minute.

Clark Kent had cursed.

"Sh- "

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	6. Chapter 6

Okay guys, here it is. A little more lenghty to make up for lost time (hopefully!) I hope you enjoy, and like always, let me know! I know, its been forever, so forgive me and review!

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After all they had been through together she could finally say she knew Clark Kent, knew every side of him. She was happy thinking that finally after all those years she had the scoop on his life.

Or maybe not.

Chloe stood transfixed at the entrance of the barn, the sight before her too unnerving and indescribable, even for her.

Clark Kent was talking to himself, no not to himself, to Lois.

The unnerving part was that she was nowhere to be seen and Chloe knew she was on a plane, but she couldn't find it in herself to interrupt him.

"Lois? Where are you? Stop hiding?" Maybe she should say something, maybe he was going crazy, maybe… oh whatever, this was fun to watch, because he was actually looking for her, x-raying the haystacks for goodness sakes!

He was quiet for a second then froze.

"Airplane? Oh sh!

She gasped, loudly. Clark zoned in on her quickly, his face deeply troubled and not even an ounce of apology on his features. He had cursed after all. She had never heard him curse; not even when he was under the influence of red kryptonite did he curse.

"Chloe?" He didn't even seem embarrassed; maybe he really was going crazy.

He hurried down the steps to meet her. What was he going to do? He somehow had to warn her not to make any kind of compromising conversation with him. She was laughing, he didn't blame her; he must have looked like such an idiot.

"Clark are you sure your father gave you a week to go back? Maybe it was less and now he has taken your ability to reason logically and giving you hallucinations." She arched an eyebrow; he didn't even react to her joke, his face was still dead serious. "Okay, what's going on?"

He sighed, might as well tell her, he thought. He waited a second to hear Lois' voice; it didn't come. _Lois?_

_What?_

_Nothing, you simply didn't say anything_

_Why should I say anything? you stopped thinking after you let that big word out of your mouth, or head, or whatever. We can read minds now! Now this is bad._

_You didn't hear what I just thought or said?_

_No_

"Um, Clark?" He had zoned out on her, his eyes focused on a point beyond her head. He heard her and turned his attention back to her.

"Long story Chloe, and pretty crazy, are you sure you're up to it?" He stared at her intently, still expecting Lois' voice to pop into his head, she had not only read his mind but 'heard' what he had said to her out loud. Again no voice.

"Remember Kyla?" he walked back up towards the stairs.

"You mean she wolf?" He turned to give her a stern look "sorry, of course I remember, what about her?" they walked up to the loft. He picked up something from the couch, he had been looking at it and remembering when Lois had interrupted his reverie. Wait, she hadn't know what he had been thinking then either.

_Lois?_

_Yes, oh goodness can't you stop thinking? Well at least to me?_

_I think I figured this out_

_Please, do tell._

_We can only read and hear each other when we are talking to each other._

_Huh? Oh!_

He didn't hear anything for a while, then Chloe waved a hand in front of his face.

"This is beginning to freak me out, are you okay?"

"Just one second and I'll explain everything." If his theory was correct he would be able to speak to Chloe freely.

_Did you get any of that?_ Lois' voice came into his head again.

_Any of what?_

_I was just talking to the old lady that sits besides me; you didn't hear anything I said?_

_Nope, I was just talking to Chloe._

_Good, so we can somehow control this. Don't talk to me, don't even think my name, got it Smallville?_

He rolled his eyes. _You don't have to tell me that._

_Hey I heard that!_

"Okay, what was that for?"

"What?" he had almost forgotten she was there.

"You rolled your eyes at me." She sat down and sighed. "Okay what about Kyla." If she didn't get this explanation going she was just going to give up and assume he had been bitten by the crazy bug.

"She gave me this bracelet, except when she gave it to me it had a kryptonian symbol on it." He handed it to her.

"So where did it go?" She said upon close examination of the bracelet.

He fumbled with his words, he should really explain it to her from the beginning.

"Its imprinted on Lois', um, chest." So much for the long version.

"So now we have this connection that has been growing, we can talk to each other even if a whole ocean is separating us." He finished lamely. He slumped on the couch; he really didn't know what to do.

Chloe just stood, stupefied, not yet being able to wrap her brain around the matter. She slowly sat besides him. "Okay, start from the beginning."

And he did.

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He felt better after talking to Chloe, she asked to see the symbol, so he took her to the cave. She copied it and promised to find what ever she could on it. Anything that connected her cousin and Clark Kent was worth looking in on, at least so she could be around, it seemed like so much fun, at least for her. When she asked what it meant he lied and told her he didn't know.

On his way back he fought with himself, he had wanted to see Lana, he really wanted to try, but he still felt so insecure. So instead of heading towards the Talon he headed back home.

Martha and Jonathan didn't question him. Martha had filled him in and they had both agreed to speak only when Clark approached them. He didn't, but they he eventually would. Clark spent the rest of the day fixing the house; he had preferred to do it later, when there was a less likelihood of someone seeing him. After a quiet dinner and the evening chores he headed for bed. With now only silence surrounding him the night sounds filled his head, he started tuning them out one by one, until only one sound remained. The beat of her heart, he frowned as he calculated the time difference. It was way past midnight in London, what was she doing up?

_Lois?_

_Clark? What are you doing? Leave me alone, okay?_

_I was going to ask you the same thing, what time is it over there?_

_Its 3 am._ She was noticeably altered

_So go to sleep_

_I was getting ready to when you interrupted my bath; now go away, I had a long trip and even a longer talk with Elena, so leave me alone._

_Who's Elena?_

_Clark…_

_Okay, fine, good night Lois._

_Good night Clark._

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Groggy.

He felt groggy, nauseated. No, that couldn't be right.

He sat straight up in bed, he was fine, and he felt fine. What had woken him up then? He had fallen asleep at the same time Lois had, the slow rhythm of her heartbeat had eventually put him to sleep. He listened for it again, if it wasn't him, there was only one other person it could be. He heard it, barely, startling him. Then the time between each beat grew longer little by little. What was going on?

_Lois?_ No answer _Lois?_

"Lois!" He yelled as softly as he could.

_Huh?_ Her breathing was ragged, but she was waking up.

_What's going on Lois, are you okay?_

_Huh? What?_

_Wake up!_ He hoped with all his might that none of his parents would walk in at that moment, for he knew what facial expressions he was doing, with no sound coming out of his mouth.

_Clark? What the hell?_

_Something's wrong, wake up._

She opened her eyes, she felt as if they were made of stone, barely able to will them to move. When she finally managed them open they stung.

"Oh crap!" She shielded her eyes, and then opened them again, slower. Her room was full of smoke and then the smell of burning wood hit her. She turned towards the door; an orange glow flickered around it.

_Um, Clark?_

_What's wrong?_

_The apartment's on fire._

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	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews, here's an extra chapter for you! Enjoy!**

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**London**

Lois took the pillow sham from her bed and covered her mouth with it. She looked around, trying to decide her next course of action. Her friend Elena was across the hall from her, she decided to check up on her first. The strong smell of smoke had made her sleep even deeper, if it hadn't been for Clark she would have surely died, she had to wake Elena.

She reached for the door carefully, not knowing how close the fire was. She wrapped her hand around a towel nearby and walked towards the door, that's when a strong wave of nausea hit her, almost throwing her off balance. She realized she needed to do something first. She went directly towards the window, dizziness and all. With what little strength she had left she pushed the window up, it had no netting, making her wince inwardly when she first arrived, she was more than glad for that now.

She took her head out and took a deep breath. She coughed violently for in the action of putting in some fresh air in her lungs she had managed to get some ashes as well. She looked towards her left, a window on the floor below her was roaring in fire, engulfing as well the nearest fire escape. She positioned her face away from the fire and smoke and took another breath, much cleaner this time.

A plan had already formed in her head so she covered her mouth again and went straight for the door. She could have not used the towel for the door wasn't hot, but as soon as she stepped in the hall she saw it. The wall that divided the apartment from the next one had caught fire from the ground up. The fire was moving their way.

She burst into Elena's room and just as she had thought she was sleeping. Fear gripped her for a second when she saw how still she was. Upon closer inspection she realized she was breathing, barely, but breathing nonetheless.

"Elena!" She shook her as hard as she could, when she didn't respond she shook her again. "Elena!" No response. Lois grabbed her tiny hand and looked for a pulse, it was a difficult task. She gave up and tried to carry her. She was a small thing, not over 5'3 and light boned, it shouldn't have been so difficult. She huffed and puffed but wasn't able to move her. Besides the fact that she was pretty much dead weight being unconscious, Lois was much weaker than she would have liked.

"Oh hell no!" she wasn't going to give up so she decided to drag her. A strong gust of wind behind her startled her and she turned around. A tall figure stood before her, the smoke around the room making it hard to define.

"Who are you?" A fireman? Could be.

She heard a deep sigh of resignation.

"I should have figured you wouldn't be conveniently unconscious, come on Lois lets get you guys out of here."

She stood stupefied as she watched Clark walk over the bed and pick Elena up, putting her head to rest over his shoulder, his left arm holding her torso firmly against him. He then reached out for her.

"What? How..?" she blinked furiously. A dream, this had to be some sick fantasy-dream thingy. Her mind was practically mush.

He couldn't help but smile, despite the fact that he had just revealed himself to her; it was hard no to enjoy her being so lost.

He reached for her and held her firmly with his free arm.

"Is there anyone else here?" He asked

Lois blinked again. "No, just us. Clark what are you doing here?" But instead of answering her he ran straight for the nearest window, head first and lunged into the street.

Too confused to scream, yell or cry, she buried her face in his chest waiting for the pain of the fall.

The pain never came.

"Its okay Lois," He was prying her away from him, she hadn't realized she was holding on so tight. He held her at arms length and looked at her straight in the eye. "Do you know CPR?" She nodded, and then turned. Her friend Elena was on the floor covered in her blanket next to the alley wall.

She hurried towards Elena and after not finding a pulse started the procedure. She put her head back, made sure her airways were clear, as much as she could in the dark, and tried to bring her friend back to life.

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Clark approached the building carefully. His ears picked up the fire truck still a couple minutes away. He made up his mind and sped in.

* * *

"Come on Elena, breathe." She continued non-stop. Her friend's face was ashen white, it had always been a pale white due to her aristocratic spanish blood, her dark her giving her a stunning contrast, now the contrast was even more evident, freighting so.

A beauty inside and out, Elena had been the only true friend she had to claim as her own since junior high. They both had been new at the school that year, she an army brat, Elena a diplomat's daughter. They hit it right off and kept in contact even after they had to move yet again due to their father's duties.

Tears started to dwell up within her as resignation began to hit her brain, even if it didn't quite get to her hands yet. At the moment Elena started coughing violently, taking deep breaths after each cough.

"You scared the living thing out of me you bitch!" She laughed out loud and hugged her. She helped Elena sit against the wall.

"That's how you greet me after my touch with death?" her slight accent escaped from a smile.

"That's what you get for scaring me." She hugged her again.

He had set out to clear the top floors first, seeing as to how the whole 5th floor was now on fire and there was no way out for them. The people in the lower floors had already begun to file out. By the time the fire department arrived, he had left them with the easiest part, putting the fire out.

He walked towards the alley he had left Lois and her friend in. He found them talking and laughing. He decided to walk away. Her questioning could wait.

"Don't even think about it Smallville, you have some serious explaining to do."

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**He saved them, but she's never really only a damsel in distress is she:)**

**Okay guys! REVIEW! Okay?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Update! Please review! Your wonderful reviews feed my hungry muse.**

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"Why don't you get your friend to a safe place first, then we can talk. This isn't the time or the place." He did his best to sound calm and wise.

Lois looked back at Elena then at Clark. "Well, its not like you can hide from me, you can hear me even if you were in the North Pole. Just remember that Kent." She narrowed her eyes at him to make her statement clear. Clark put his hands up in mock defense.

"I'm not going anywhere." He stated.

Satisfied with his answer she walked back to Elena.

"Honey, your flat is in ashes right now, do you know anybody that can help you?" She knelt besides her.

"You mean us Lo, and yes, just let me get to a public telephone." She tried her legs and decided she felt okay to stand up. Lois just watched her carefully for any sign of weakness. Despite her small size she was as strong willed and independent as she, and since strength and independence in women were so foreign to farm boy, within the next second he was besides her, helping her up.

"Thanks sir, but I can handle." She smiled politely and wrenched her arm free. Clark just blinked, then smiled.

"Don't even." Lois was narrowing her eyes at him again.

"Don't what? I wasn't going to say anything." He defended himself

"But you started to think it, besides if you know I'm like that too, why did you come to save me, knowing full well that I could take care of myself?" Clark opened his mouth to respond. Reading his thoughts she changed her mind. "Never mind."

"Lois? What's going on? And who is this guy?" Elena was now standing besides her. They had both forgotten about her and turned startled towards her.

"Long story, one which I still need to get a part of from him. So lets find someplace clean and with hot water. What do you think?"

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**A couple hours later.**

Lois walked out of the bathroom towel drying her hair. She slung the towel on an elegant chair and walked to the huge wood dresser, all compliments of Elena. Well, her father actually, she had called him and he had immediately sent her to the Spanish embassy where a credit card was given to her. The credit card had helped them get the suite and some clothes. Had it been anyone else she wouldn't have accepted any of it for the world, but they had helped each so much in the past, they couldn't keep up with the count so they decided to only accept help from each other.

She was brushing her hair when she heard her laugh. She stopped, Elena's father had sentenced her to bed rest and Lois had been adamant to make sure that happened. She dressed quickly and grabbed her hair in a ponytail. The sound of her voice let her to the suite's living room. Elena was in an animated conversation with Clark. Lois couldn't help but roll her eyes before barging in.

"What are you doing up? Go to your room." She put her hand on her hips to make a point.

"Please Lo, I feel good, okay? Besides the doctor just left and he said I am in perfect health, so there, doctor dumps my father." She finished satisfied.

"You mean trumps, and a doctor? I didn't hear anything." She raised an eyebrow, Elena stood up and shot hers up as well.

"My father sent him over, he was here for only a little time." They stared at each other intently, Lois was still not sure whether to believe her or not.

"Its true Lois, I saw him." Clark spoke up, she broke her gaze with Elena and looked at him. He smiled and then shrugged his shoulders. _Its not like I can lie to you._

_True, but just to make sure._ She zoned in on him intently. _Fine, I believe you._

"Have you eaten anything, I'm starving!" and like that the subject was forgotten.

"I already ate Lo, sorry, but the doctor forced me to and you took forever in the bathroom." They sat down on the couch across from Clark.

"Its okay, I have a date anyways. Clark lets eat, I'm hungry and you have some serious talking to do." He started to widen his eyes when she said date, but whatever awkwardness could have come for it was killed by her stern tone.

She walked back to the bedroom and braided her hair. Elena walked in behind her and closed the door.

"He's quite a catch Ms. Lane." She always called her that when she teased her.

She rolled her eyes.

"Not for me Elena, we're just mere acquaintances who just got played by life really bad. I'll tell you all about it later, 'kay?" She finished and reached for the door.

"Now I roll my eyes Lo, he traveled halfway around the world to see you, there is interest there, I know. Anyway, take care." She reached up and kissed her in the cheek, a Spanish custom Elena had refused to give up no matter where she was.

"There's interest all right, but not the kind you think." With that she walked across the living room and went straight for the door.

"Come on Smallville, I need food and information." He followed her out into the hallway.

"Um, that might not be such a good idea Lois." He pressed the elevator button

"Come on Clark, there's nothing new in this world, just a different version of it." She said as they walked in.

Soda flew out of her mouth and straight into the floor, she had barely had time to react and turn to not bathe Clark in her saliva and refreshment.

After the waiter brought them the drinks she had asked her first question. How had he gotten there? And he had been honest, completely honest. He simply said, "I ran"

And that's when she choked on her drink.

Now **that** was new and different.

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**Now go! Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay guys, I am trying to finish this story so I can finish my other ones, this is what happens when I start something then start something else without finishing the past ones!!! Sorry, for those who also read my other stories I have not forgotten them, life had been hectic and its forced me to focus on one thing at a time, at least in fanfiction world!!! The next update for this should be up by tomorrow. And yes I will be finishing all of my stories.**

**Enjoy and don't forget to review!!!**

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When he had decided to run around the world, jump over the Bering strait – even he had been surprised at having achieved it – and save Lois, he had been furiously hoping to find her unconscious, unharmed, but unconscious. Luck hadn't been on his side lately, he really should have known better. So now there he was, Lois' face full of questions, his mind trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. He was able to postpone the questioning a few hours, but now, sitting across her in an outdoors café, he knew the time had come. There was no way out of it, for even if she didn't have that tattoo that let her know when he was lying, he had dug himself a pretty deep hole.

"How did you get here?" That was a simple question, and yet, so very, very complicated.

He had two choices, lie and get caught, then lie again, and get … who knew how long the cycle would last. Or… he could tell her the truth.

"I ran" He chose the latter.

Lois lost her soda to the floor, and he couldn't help but laugh, a reaction he wasn't expecting from himself. He had expected to be scared, nervous, but the moment the words left his mouth he felt free.

And it felt good.

"You ran?" Lois managed to say after she took several deep breaths in an attempt to not choke. "I know you aren't lying, but, how is that possible?" She leaned in, but didn't lower her voice.

"This is serious Lois, and I'd appreciate it if you weren't so loud." He leaned in as well, arching his left eyebrow to make his point clear. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, making it into a stare down contest, neither willing to look away first. She narrowed her eyes and focused on him. Every fiber of his being was dead serious; he wasn't nervous, or scared.

She let out a sigh and put her hands up in surrender. "Fine, you want this to go quietly, it will." She sat back and crossed her arms across her chest. _How could you possibly run from Kansas to here?_ Her mouth was tightly closed, both her eyebrows were arched in questioning.

He laughed again, which felt weird, considering the circumstances. "That's not what I had in mind Lois, why don't we eat first?" He looked behind him to the entrance of the café to see if the waiter was coming with their food.

_Like hell we are, answer me Clark Kent!_ The look on her face was beyond comical, for it conveyed all the feeling behind her comand: narrowed eyes, lips in a tight line and her head bobbed a little in an effort to really accentuate her words.

He smiled widely, and then shrugged, _fine, but I told you, food and information don't always mix._

_I don't see our food anywhere so go. How could you possible run here? You were in Kansas weren't you?_

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, she had just given him the perfect exit, the perfect beginning of an excuse, but it was too late.

_Yes I was in Kansas, but I think you might understand this better if I start from the beginning._

_Shoot then, start._

_Okay, maybe it's not that easy._ He sighed. _I'm from another planet Lois, I was sent here by my parents before my home was destroyed._

They had begun to draw curious stares, not because of what they weren't saying, but because of their body language, needless to say they weren't very good at the mind reading thing, especially after what Lois had just heard, her eyes were wide in shock, her mouth slightly open.

_Wait, I.. I saw that, Oh my… that was you, was that a ship? This is crazy!_ She complemented her mental outburst with her arms, flailing them about. Her right hand hitting something soft in the process.

"Ahem, your orders" The waiter chocked out, trying not to lose composure after the air had been sucked out of him by her hand. He then patiently waited for them to clear their upper bodies from the table so he could place their food in front of them. They hadn't realized they had leaned in again during their mind conversation.

Clark blinked and reacted first, pulling back and mumbling an apology. Never one to recognize her mistakes quickly, Lois took her time to sit back into her chair and mumbled and even quieter apology. She remained silent; playing their conversation in her head, as well as everything that had played in her mind since her chest sported an uncalled for tattoo.

Clark thanked the waiter and looked at Lois, she was silent, deep in thought. He waved a hand in front of her face.

"Looois, are you in there? Food's here and I can hear your stomach roaring." He watched as the expression on her face changed, almost as if something had switched on inside her head.

"Oh my… Holy crap!" Her outburst startled him, her expression scared him, she looked like she had lost her mind. What he didn't know was that she was thinking the exact same thing. She was either crazy or dreaming. "You… you.." she stood up quickly, the blood rushing to her head from the change in position and for the overdrive it had gone into. He saw it happen and was quickly at her side. She stumbled from the hunger and the head rush, his strong arm steadying her. She looked up at him, surprise and awe covering her face.

"I saw everything Clark. I know who you are." And then for the second time in less than a week she fainted in his arms.

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**No, I don't see Lois as weak, but come on, too much info in a small amount of time, I'd faint!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's the next one, and guys, please, pretty pretty please, REVIEW!!!**

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Elena had gone back to bed after her friend left with the handsome visitor, no matter how she had said she felt fine, as soon as she was alone she was able to admit to herself that she was a little tired and decided to take a short nap. Her breathing had finally settled down to allow for a restful sleep when two sharp knocks woke her up. She took a deep breath and cracked her neck before getting up. Two knocks again.

"Going¡Cuándo por fin decido dormir, ahh!" She mumbled in frustration as she made her ways towards the door.

She opened the door and found Clark in front of her, his arms full of her friend and a doggy bag from the café down the street.

"What happened?" She asked as she made way for him to come in. He carefully placed the bag on a side table before proceeding to put Lois down on the couch. Elena hurried to help him by putting a pillow to support her head. They both stared down at her position on the couch, her head and torso were fine, but her long legs looked uncomfortably bent.

They looked at each other and nodded. "The bedroom" Said Elena "I'll go get some alcohol to wake her up, was the food that bad?" She headed into the bathroom to look for the first aid kid.

"The fire must have taken a toll on her too, she just passed out." He fibbed then bent down to pick her up again. One arm firmly under her knees, the other supporting her back, he leaned back a little to have gravity place her head against his chest and he walked towards the double bedroom the girls shared.

He felt her waking up and sighed with relief. He couldn't help but feel apprehension with the whole situation, for starters Lois wasn't one to faint so easily, at least not in the time that she had known her, and he knew it had to do with that tattoo and the whole little magical number it was playing on them. He didn't know what to expect, and hence had no control over it.

"Get me down." Her voice was low but there was strong determination behind it. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp but he didn't give an inch.

"You should know better to even try Lois." He muttered as he entered her room. She did, but knowing and actually experiencing the knowledge were two totally different animals. She felt as if his arms were strong metal braces, she couldn't even budge; yet they were soft enough to not hurt her. So much power, in him, was not only astonishing, but also scary.

He placed her down on the bed. As soon as she felt free she sat and tried to get up. He held her down to a sitting position.

"Lois." He warned. Her level of stubbornness always amazed him.

"No Clark, A bomb was just dropped in my brain, I deserve to ask you a couple questions, don't you think? Yes I now know some stuff, but I don't understand half of them. Like your name, Kal-El? What does it mean? And Krypton? Where the hell was that?"

He could tell she was confused, he had been when he had found out a third of what was in her head, that and the fact that she had called him Clark twice that day made him back down.

"Fine, I'll clear any doubts you have, but first lay down, at least 10 minutes, okay? We have no idea how any this can affect you." Genuine worry filled his eyes, touching a dormant fiber in her heart.

She thought back for a minute, a silently agreed with him. This whole situation had thrown her out of the room, caused her to faint twice, and took away her sleep with recurrent and unexplainable dreams. A nap sounded nice. But should she let him know she agreed with him. Where would the fun be in that? Besides, she was still hungry.

"How about I eat something, then we talk." She managed to cross her arms once he had loosened his grip on her, causing him to let go altogether.

"Okay, wait here." He walked out and came back a couple seconds later with a doggy bag of the café. He had thought of everything.

"Now go away, I'd rather eat alone for now." She could easily take a short nap after eating without him noticing. She could eat really fast when she wanted to.

Clark shrugged and walked out, closing the door behind him. He walked into the sitting room only to find Elena curled up on the couch, fast asleep. Good, he had to talk to Chloe, or Joe, or anybody that could clear everything up. He walked out of the suite, closed the door and sped back home.

* * *

"So as I was telling her my secret, she suddenly knows everything. This doesn't seem to be going away, if anything it's getting stronger." Clark sat across from Chloe and Joe, who had just made back into Smallville for just that.

"But you can control it, it was your decision to tell her that triggered the knowledge aspect in the symbol. After a lot rummaging through my older books I finally found this." Joe placed a book in front of them. "It confirmed what I told you Clark. This was a one time deal, the magic was never repeated."

"What does that mean?" Chloe asked, baffled, yet honored to be included in the conversation.

Clark was afraid of the answer.

"It means that it was meant for a specific couple, not just for anybody who came in contact with it." Yep, that was the answer he was afraid of. "It also says that the answer is within the riddle. Has this young lady said anything unusual?"

_This is Lois, anything that comes out of her mouth is unusual._ He thought before he could come up with an answer.

_Smallville!!!!_ Lois' voice thundered in his head. _She heard that? What now!!!_

_Kal-El or whatever!!!_ She sounded mad.

"Wait, I understand how it can be meant for you Clark, but Lois? Why her? Clark?" He was lost again. "Is it Lois?" Now both Joe and Chloe watched him intensely.

_What is it Lois?_ He asked _Did you hear what I just said?_

_Who gives a damn what you say or who the hell you are talking to, I need you here right now._ Her bossiness was borderline, even for him.

_I can't I'm with Joe and Chloe, they're helping us, remember?_

_Fine then, I'll take a picture and send it to Chloe by cell then._

_A picture? What are you talking about??_ But she didn't answer.

"Lois is going to send something to your phone." He turned to Chloe. She pulled out her cell phone and waited.

_There I sent it, can you please tell me what it is?_ Her tone softened somewhat.

_Wait, she hasn't…_ beep, beep _There it is, hold on._

Chloe opened her phone and opened her message. She blinked twice. A picture of Lois' chest took up the whole screen. She handed it to Clark.

"It's for you."

He looked at it and immediately saw what she had been yelling about. Above the symbol on her chest, just to the left was a series of smaller symbols.

"I don't know what it is, it's not kryptonian." He handed it over to Joe.

"No, it's not. It's old Kawatche symbology" He looked up at the two young people in front of him. This wasn't good.

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Lots and lots of reviews please:) 


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's the update!! enjoy and review!!!**

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"Do you believe in magic?" She felt stupid even voicing the question, but saying it out loud also made it seem more real to her. She was finally admitting that this was something supernatural and therefore out of her control. For, how can you control something you do not understand? Lois wasn't used to not understanding, even with this she thought she had figured it out only to have not one, but a set of smaller tattoos appear before her reflection. If one had brought her so much trouble, what would these three do? At least during her last encounter with magic she hadn't known what had happened, making her a little skeptical on the reality of the whole thing, but this had suddenly become undeniable. So the time came to admit defeat and maybe even submission to this unknown force that had taken over her body and mind.

Elena looked up from the couch, they had been awake now for a while and where watching T.V., well, at least she was. She had noticed her friend's silence and had decided to respect it. She knew she would talk when she was ready but the question that was sent her way at that moment made her scrunch her face in confusion. She looked at Lois. She internally shrugged, she looked serious enough, and so she decided to go along with it.

"Magic, umm, tough one. I guess it depends on your definition of it. Magic as in the magic of luuvvv.." a mischievous smile covered her face, and then she grew serious. "or magic as in witches and little green men that aren't aliens?" Maybe she was trying to open up after all. She had a feeling about her and Clark from the moment she saw them together. Where was he by the way? She began to wonder; they hadn't seen him since that morning.

"You mean leprechauns, and no, magic as in something outside of yourself making you see and feel things you had never experienced before. Magic as in needle less tattoos." She pulled down her shirt.

"Wow, wait, you told me you had gotten that in the United States." She leaned closer. "These weren't here." Their eyes met. "Oh goodness, you're serious. You didn't get these?" She took a deep breath. "How?" Should she believe her? Lois had been known to act crazy, but she had never lied to her, except for the tattoo. "If it's true, why didn't you tell from the beginning?"

"Would you have believed me?" Elena just raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you're believing me now, I know. I guess I didn't believe it, not fully anyway." She admitted. They sat across from each other, suddenly lost in their thoughts. Lois let go of her shirt, letting it cover her again.

"So…" Lois laughed, Elena was so different than her, so much more patient, less abrasive, just as independent, but so much more quiet and less probing. Sometimes she wondered how they had stayed friends for so long. Then she saw genuine worry in her eyes and remembered. No one had cared for her so selflessly. Chloe was family and she was great, but she was nothing to Elena, and she still cared.

"I found something of Clark's back at home, Clark, you know the guy that saved us from the …" Elena rolled her eyes and her attempt of distraction.

"I know who Clark is Lois, it is hard to forget someone as good looking as he. Girl you are lucky." She stared off into space, and then blinked when she realized how distracted she had gotten. "You are good, but not that good." She laughed "Okay, so then what happened.

The both laughed good-naturedly for a couple seconds, before settling down enough for Lois to continue her story.

"Okay, do you want to know or not?"

"Is that really a question? Of course." She smiled and leaned back on the couch.

"I found a bracelet an old girlfriend of sorts gave him. He got really sad and mad at the same time so I gave it to him, but when he touched it," she remembered the moment all too well. " It was like lightning came from it, forcing us apart. My mind was suddenly full of images, but they weren't from my life, they were from his." When she had decided to tell Elena, she had also decided to just tell her the basics; after all, that was more than enough to test anyone's faith. So she told her everything, only leaving the truth of Clark's origin out. She was still digesting that one.

Elena listened quietly, little by little becoming convinced that it was for real. Lois' expression and the way they had been saved fit, even her weird faces, now she knew what it was about.

"Interesting." She kept quiet, her brows furrowed deep between her eyes in thought. She suddenly looked up at Lois. "Now the real question rises Lo, the only times you have ever told me about something that was bothering you was when you needed help, when you couldn't handle something by yourself. Now, I'm not complaining, I'm just curious, what can I do in this bizarre situation to help you?" Lois blinked furiously fighting back the tears that suddenly rushed to the surface. How did she do that? It wasn't very often that she did come to her with an issue, but every time she did Elena managed to break down her barriers, allowing her to open up completely.

So now, with the biggest problem she had ever encountered in so many levels, she closed her eyes and let the tears fall. Lois Lane cried very little, in time and quantity. Her tears fell silently across her cheeks. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

"This was meant for me, just for me and him, I know that now and the implications of it is scaring me Elena. This wasn't random in time or place and that scares the living sh out of me."


	12. Chapter 12

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"You're talking about more than just magic Lo, I mean soul mates, are you sure?" They were sitting together on the couch now, facing each other. 

"That's what this symbol means, his soul mate."

"Well, as you already know Clark, this is the symbol for Naaman's soul mate, your life partner. These smaller ones…"

"Wait up, life partner, soul mate?" Chloe interrupted, eyes as big as she could possibly get them, her eyebrows shot so high they almost disappeared into her hairline. If she hadn't been asking the question he had been dreading since it had all began he would have laughed. She turned to Joseph first, then to Clark. Joseph just stared at her, Clark sighed heavily, then shook his head.

"There must be something else Joseph, Lois can't be it." He was in serious denial, but anything close to what he was suggesting was plain scary. "It had to be a mistake." A sense of dread and confusion came suddenly to him, adding to what he was already feeling. It had to be Lois. He began to wonder if she was okay.

"No Clark" He sighed as he looked at both of their confused and somewhat outraged faces. "Let me start from the beginning. You are not human, but were sent here to save your life and in a way ours as well, how you want to interpret that is up to you. According to this book and some common sense." He shot that one directly at Clark "What happened was meant for you and your soul mate as means to teach you both something." He already had his theories on that one. "But there's no mistake, I don't personally know her, but she's not only the one, but also the one that holds the key to breaking this.

"These three symbols I recognize, it's an old chant, very old. I only know what one of them means." He pointed to the center one "this means knowledge, wisdom. I can't know for sure until I get the other two. This must be the riddle the book talks about but Clark, I think Lois knows more than us, you need to talk to her."

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"So while we were eating I fainted again, you know that part, but right before I fainted it all came to me, the why, the how. I understood why this was happening but I was too stubborn to accept it." Elena just looked at her, encouraging her to continue. Lois took a deep breath. "I still can't" 

"Goodness it can't be that bad."

"I mean, I don't even believe that there's only one person out there for you, and then this falls on me, I don't know what to do." Lois was so uncharacteristically whiny that Elena got really frustrated at that moment.

"Okay Lo, enough, first off, you haven't said anything concrete to me, you are just whining and complaining and babbling nonsense, and this is not like you. So, one of two choices, either you fess up completely or you shut up and let me finish watching the movie." Lois just blinked, not knowing what to say at first, Elena had never spoken like that to her or to anyone, but then again, she had never been whiny before. Her frown quickly turned into a full-blown smile, then to laughter.

"Hey, not funny." That was one reaction she wasn't expecting.

"I'm sorry, you are absolutely right, so I'll get to the point. This magic was intended for us, to show us how we could be, more specifically to show Clark how 'we' could be, to show him why I'm his soul mate. "She finished softly, her eyes downcast. Elena was silent for a couple seconds.

"Well I can see why it bothers you so much, you were never really good at taking orders, and this sounds pretty specific and final. It's almost funny." She smiled softly, understanding her friend's fear.

_Lois, are you all right?_ Lois' head shot up, she had almost forgotten about their telepathic connection. She then realized she had shut his feelings out when she was venting out to Elena. There was some privacy after all.

_What do you want Smallville?_ She almost called him Clark again, that wouldn't have been good for her image.

_Something's bothering you._ He didn't even ask, he stated it as if he knew, well, he kind of did.

_I'm fine, there's just a lot on my mind, too much stuff to process._

Elena saw the change in Lois immediately, but it took her a couple of seconds to realize what was going on, after she did, she sighed and turned the TV back on.

_Did you sleep good then?Yyou looked really tired._ She blushed in anger.

_I did not just fall asleep, you left, so I…_

_Seriously Lois, you hardly touched your food and fell asleep almost as soon as I walked out the door._

_If you know everything why do you bother to ask? Seriously, so annoying._

_Look, I don't want to fight, do you still want to talk? I do, maybe we can answer some questions together. Where do you want to meet me?_ He sounded and felt weird, she couldn't quite put her finger on it, the distance weakening their connection enough to confuse her.

_The suite's fine, just give me time to get ready._ She paused. _Are you okay?_

_I'll be better once we sort this out. See you in a bit._ He went silent after that, not wanting to explain the mix of feelings that were rushing through him at that moment.

He looked out into the Kansas horizon to the north. Sure this scared him, but what scared him the most was the fact that part of him wanted to believe he had finally found the one strong enough to stand by his side and that one might just really be Lois Lane.

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Okay, Reviews!!!! 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 part I

Elena watched from the living room couch as Lois walked in and out of the bedroom getting ready. She was nervous, she could tell, especially since it was so rare to see her like that. She wouldn't be nervous if she was telepathic with someone as good looking as Clark, she'd be deliriously happy. Worse things had happened to her, an to Lois as well.

"I thin is romantic" she said, exaggerating her accent.

"Yeah, you would." Lois was fighting with the brush. That's what happens when you go to sleep with your ponytail on she told herself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elena tried to sound offended.

"You see romance in everything, If a man turned into a dog and fell in love with you, you'd find that romantic." She finally managed to get past the most stubborn knots.

"Well, it's not his fault he's a dog." She said mischeviously.

"Yeah, well, mine's not a dog, but…" her head snapped up, did she just…

Elena didn't say anything, she just laughed, nice and loud, as she saw her friend's face turn beet red.

Never one to take one sitting down she reached for a pillow and just as she was about to deliver her blow, the doorbell rang. Of all the things that could possible go through her head at that instant, only one made its way into her thoughts: her hair. She looked around and not finding her hair tie, she squared her shoulders, ran her hand through her hair and opened the door.

"Hey" Clark managed to get out. Her hair fell about her shoulders, he liked it like that, but lately she had only worn it up.

"Your hair looks nice." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Lois was glad her face was already flushed red. She looked up at him, he looked tired.

Was it too farfetched? The question suddenly popped into her head. She had to admit she had been attracted to him since she first met him, would've been hard not to considering how she met him, but still. Through the years she had gotten to know him better, and that didn't help matters much. She had told Martha once that she would consider herself lucky to find someone half as decent as Clark, so maybe the whole issue wasn't the fact that she couldn't like, or even love him, but whether or not someone like him was in the card for her.

The things she now knew about him didn't help matters much, now she wondered if she deserved someone like him, with so much power and kindness rolled into one.

He belonged to the world, not her.

"Wanna go for a walk?" He offered; they needed to talk alone.

"Sure, bye Elena." She walked out and closed the door before her friend could say anything. She didn't want to feel more nervous than she already felt.

"It's going to be okay, you know that right?" His eyes smiled down on her. "Besides, you could do a lot worse than me." Banter, she could do that.

"Well, that's a toss up, really." She laughed at the fake look of hurt on his face. "So how did Chloe react to all of this? I wish I would've been there." They walked side by side towards the elevator.

"It was pretty funny, but I'm sure it won't wear off for a while, so you'll get to see it when you get back."

Chloe, she really needed her right now, she knew about Clark, that would make for a very interesting conversation.

They talked about frivolous stuff the rest of the way, then they hit the street and they both went quiet. They both knew what they had to say, but neither knew how to start.

Clark sighed, it was weird, she knew everything about him, things that he hadn't even told Chloe, yet she didn't look at him any differently. That's what he had always liked about Lois, nothing surprised her, and when it did she accepted it, no matter what it was. Was it so hard to believe she could be for him? Not anymore, and that scared him.

"What did Joe say?" she finally decided to break the silence.

"Not much, he says he can't decipher two of the symbol, only the one in the middle, it means knowledge. He things you know how to reverse this."

"Me? No, at least not yet. Believe me, you will be the first to know." She paused "Have you gone to Jor-el?"

"Jor-el?" what did he have to do with this?

"Well, yeah, this is Indian magic, but the symbol is kryptonian and he has been to earth, maybe he knows something we don't."

He thought about it for a second.

"You know, you might be right. Come on." He grabbed her hand and walked into a lonely alley. He pulled her into a tight embrace.

"What are you doing?" She didn't even try to get out of it.

"Hold on tight, okay?" she nodded and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.


	14. Chapter 14

Leave a review guys, I hope you like!! I promise everything will be explained in the next chapter, only a couple more to go.

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He slowed down at the entrance of his fortress, tall glaciers hiding it.

"We're here." He whispered as he set her down. Lois nodded and followed him in. The cold around her making her shiver so she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Here." He walked behind her and hugged her to him, his warmth radiating through her body. They stood there in silence, not knowing what to make of the feelings coursing through them. It felt right somehow, Lois moved her head and looked up at him, only to find him looking at her, a strange look passed through his eyes as liberating feeling coursed through him and for the first time since he could remember there was something missing: guilt.

Not knowing what to make of what she was reading from him, Lois tentavely smiled and broke the silence.

"How are we going to get in there wise guy, this isn't the ideal position for walking." She was flirting, she knew it and felt no shame.

He smiled and her heart smiled back, she had seen him smile a lot of times before – making her and every other girl in the viccinity go weak at the knees – but this smile was so ...

"You could just give me your jacket." She raised an eyebrow and stepped away. Clark laughed, a red tinge filling his face.

"You're right." He took of his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. She still felt cold.

"What about this?" he said as he hugged her from the side. His jacket was huge on her, his arms felt just right.

"This could work." And they walked side by side through the snow.

Clark had forgotten how impressive the entrance was, he usually used the caves to enter.

Two long crystals intertwined forming an entrance, they both looked up, awed at the magnificence of it. The sunlight played off the crystals, forming rainbows of light.

"This is beautiful." She whispered. "I mean I recognize it from your memories, but its not the same up close and personal."

"It is pretty impressive. This is sort of a replica of my home planet." He explained.

"So it was an ice planet?"

"I don't think so, this is all made of crystals, not ice, there's only ice because of the location. I think this was chosen to camoflauge the fortress." He hadn't really thought about it until now.

"So these crystals..." She didn't fully understand.

He thought about it for a minute. "You know, I don't know." The reached the steps leading to the console.

"And that's probably why you should start your training, there's alot you need to know Clark." Her tone turned serious, and she had called him Clark.

He had never looked at his training that way; information, how much could he learn about his roots?

"Well, first lets fix this, I don't think I'd be able to train with you in my head." It was meant to be a joke, Lois didn't laugh. She was walking slowly closer to the console as if in a trance.

"Lois?" He ran up the stairs and caught up with her, her brow was furrowed in a determined look. She passed her left hand above the crystals stopping at one on the far right, she reached for it. "Um, Lois, I don't think you know what to do with..." he stopped short when she pulled it out and broke it in half, the crystal turned red.

"What are you doing?" She looked up at him, confused.

"I have no idea. Its like deja vu, except its not a memory, I just know this half crystal goes right..." her eyes searched the console and found what she was looking for. "Here." It was an odd looking hole, unlike the other ones surrounding the crystal, he had never given it much importance, until now. Upon closer inspection he realized it was the symbol of his soulmate, only upside down.

Before he could react a shield of crystal started to come up off the floor, enclosing them in a small round space, barely fitting both of them. The tube closed no more than a foot above their heads. It was a good thing she wasn't claustorphobic.

"Holy crap." She mustered as the tube became a small craft, slowly lifting off the ground.

"Now what did you do Lois?"

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Lois Lane was laughing, they were stuck in a 4 by 7 foot crystal tube that was slowly flying who knows where and she was laughing. Tears were running down her face, that's how hard she was laughing, she would have been on the floor if the space around them wasn't so small. She placed her hand on his chest and leaned against him for support, there really wasn't anywhere else to lean.

"What is so funny?" he started to sound frustrated, but then the smell of her hair hit his nostrils, making him aware of just how close to him she was; weakening him somehow. She looked up at him noting the change in his voice, her eyes shone in amusement.

"If all this mumbo jumbo is true, and we are so right for each other. We must be really stupid to need all this to show us that. I mean, we are flying in a crystal chamber that barely fits both us, if that's not throwing us together to figure things out, I don't know what is." Her laughter died down, a small, almost bitter smile stayed on her lips.

Clark pondered her theory, but before he could make any of it the small craft slowed down a couple of feet from the fortress roof. It moved towards a large crystal tower that was glowing .

"I didn't know this was here." Curiosity struck him.

"Well, considering we are about 20 feet above the ground and you don't remember how to fly, that doesn't surprise me." They entered the tower, the crystal dissapeared around them as soon as it touched the ground, making her loose her balance. He steadied her, confusion filled him as he realized that she wasn't cold anymore, it was actually kind of warm.

She looked around and found herself in a small crystal apartment. The first room resembled a living room, the only thing that made it look odd was the fact that the furniture seemed to blend with the floor, as if it was part of it.. A couch, a small table and a doorway leading to a bedroom. They both browsed silently, touching everything, not sure it was for real. The couch looked icy, but felt soft, she sat on it and had to break that silence.

"Oh gosh this is so comfortable. I've never felt anything like it! She leaned back, and a pillow formed from the couch, giving her neck support. She was beyond getting surprised so she relished the comfort. "Now this is proper use of alien technology."

Clark didn't know what to make of it, is this what his home on Krypton looked like? He walked into the bedroom, the bed too looked like it had grown from the ground. There was a closed door in the hallway, next to the bedroom. He opened the door, it was a small room, no more than 6 by 6, a large flat crystal covered the end wall. He walked towards it, underneath it was a hole, shaped like the one in his console.

"Lois. Do you still have the other half of the crystal?" He called, walking back out to the living room. She pryed an eye open, she had been so close to REM sleep, she groaned and looked down at her hand. The half crystal stared back at her.

"Yeah, I got it, why?"

"I think I know where it goes." That got her attention. She stood and looked back down at the couch, her figure was imprinted on it. She snorted in amusement and touched it, at her touch, her imprint dissapeared, leaving the couch smooth once again. "This is so cool." She said as she walked towards him.

"In here, follow me." He instructed, leading her to the small room. He pointed towards the flat crystal.

"Is that some sort of Kryptonian TV?" It looked like the very popular plasma tvs.

"Well, there is only one way to find out." He raised his eyebrow as he pointed towards the space in the wall. She looked down at her hand.

"Okay, here goes nothing. Really Smallville, you have the weirdest life, even for an alien." She said as she pushed the crystal all the way in, the wall closed around it and the screen glowed.

A large living room, similar to the one they had just come from appeared on the screen, a regal looking, white haired woman sat in a small couch in the middle of it.. Her face was devoid on any wrinkles, making them think that the white hair was more of a fashion statement then age.

"Who.." Lois started, Clark put his hand up to silence her. The woman spoke.

"Hello dears. Welcome to your new home."


	15. Chapter 15

Lois and Clark looked at each other, the woman paused with a smile on her face, as if she knew the confusion her greeting was going to cause.

"Now, now, both of you relax and take a deep breath okay?" she even modeled, taking a deep breath herself. They follow her cue and took a deep breath, it didn't do much for their confounded state. "Now, all better? Because it's only going to get worse." Her smile got even bigger. "Oh I wish I could be there, but I am having just as much fun imagining your faces. This is your home and will be your home forever, I tried to do my best with the decoration, but you can add anything you want my dear Lois," Lois' mouth dropped open, Clark blinked furiously. "after all I had certain limitations to what I could add to the programming of the crystal. I'm sure you'd like to add more color to it, but I'll show you how to do that later, now I probably need to explain myself before you go into shock. Kal, dear, do you see the small button by the door?" Clark turned towards the door, "When you find it press it and get a couple of chairs out, okay?" she had a motherly tone and without even thinking of objecting or asking why or how, he obeyed. He pressed the small button and another door appeared, he opened it and found several chairs stacked. He took two out, as soon as they were placed next to each other a thicker shell formed around them, making them look and feel like recliners.

Lois was still too much in shock to even comment of what had transpired before her eyes with the chairs, so she sat and watched the screen intently.

"How the hell does she know my name?! Who is she!" she hissed and waved her arms in the air.

"Look if I knew about this so would you, so shut it and listen, okay!" surprised at his own outburst, Clark didn't know whether to apologize or own up to his words. Lois' eyes widened, but she crossed her arms and turned her eyes towards the screen.

"Is everyone settled? Okay, first things first. I am Selyar, your great-aunt according to Earth's traditions. I am what you would call a psychic, I can see the future. Your great-great uncle, my uncle, was the same way. He saw your future first, he saw you and Lois and how happy you could be together. Knowing full well he would never get the chance to even meet you, he decided to give you a gift. Here in Krypton the women receive a bracelet like this one when they reach the age of 12, it has the family crest here," she lifted a bracelet similar in shape to the one Khyla had given him, except instead of the kryptonian symbol and turqoise decoration it had his family's crest imprinted on it. "When she is married she gives this one up for one with the crest of her husband's family, which the men received when they were 12 to give to their wives. Do you understand? I hope you do, because I'm not going to repeat myself." The motherly tone came back, they both nodded solemnly. "Good. Now back to the story. When your uncle went to earth to do his training, he took the bracelet with him. He took it to a tribe that had always welcomed our men and requested something very special for it. The result of it you now have. It gave you both powers to read each other, your uncle wasn't a very patient man and knowing how long it would take you to find Lois as what she is, your better half, he decided to help you." She closed her eyes for a moment, then sighed. "I don't have much time, so I will try to get to the point. On Earth you are practically inmortal my Kal-el, Lois would grow old and die, leaving you alone for many centuries. Your time with her is precious, so that was one thing he has given you, more time. This bracelet gives you knowledge Lois, on Kal-el, on what he is. It gives you the power to know and love him, but it also asks for sacrifice. Don't worry, this sacrifice you will give willingly, a sacrifice is only a sacrifice when you know what you are giving up. The bracelet also gives you the power of choice, it is now up to you my dear. Now I ask you a couple of question, because we cannot go on until they are answered. Is the bracelet on your arm? If no, touch the screen on the bottom left corner." Clark looked at Lois expectantly, she shrugged but walked over and touched the screen. Clark still had the bracelet with him.

"Good, you need to make a choice first before putting it on, but once you do, if you decide to, the marks on you body will dissapear as will the connection you have with him." She practically jumped up, that was all she needed to hear, now where was that bracelet? "Now hold on, don't put it on yet, because what the bracelet releives you off is far smaller than what it will give you once placed where it belongs." Lois sighed.

"Now, for the next question. Do you love Kal-El?" She voiced the question is such a soft voice she barely heard it, making her do a double take. Had she actually asked her that? Did she love him? How the hell was she supposed to know that? She barely knew him!! Frustration and confusion welled up inside her.

"If you don't know yet, touch the center of the screen and come back when you do. Do understand something, I know what happens, just not when it happens. If your answer is yes, touch the right top corner, if your answer is no, touch the bottom left corner." She sat in silence, then the image froze.

They sat side by side, silence washing over them, each too engrossed with their own feelings to even take consideration of the others'. Clark didn't know what to react to first, the fact that he had just been told straight to his face that Lois was the one for him, or the fact that she would die first, leaving him alone. That thought brought more pain that he thought it would, because as much as he refuse to beleive he could love her, he couldn't imagine life without her. Was that what love was like? Had he confused it for something else, something he still felt for Lana? He had been without Lana before and survived, how would life without Lois be?

The answer scared him.

Lois was shocked at her reaction to the question, if someone would have asked her how she would answer to a question of that nature she would have laughed and said no, of course, no question about it. So when Sylar asked her straight out if she loved Clark, why didn't she think just that? No? Instead confusion filled her, her answer was between an I don't know or a yes, she didn't feel comfortable with the implications of that. She dared to look at him, his eyes lost in the screen in front of him. Did she love him? She wasn't sure, but in that second she knew the answer wouldn't be easy and above all she wanted know just as much as his aunt from another planet wanted to know.

She stood slowly and touched the center of the screen. It went black. Clark looked at her expectantly.

"Do you want to help me find out?"

"Do you want to help me find out?" She had said, with one arm on her hip, her eyebrow arched high. She was challenging him.

"How do you suggest I do that? I don't even know what I feel." Lois blinked in surprise, had he admitted to having conflicting feelings for her? She straightened and walked towards him. She sat besides him and looked down at the floor. All her confidence and good humor seemed to be there.

"You don't know how you feel about me?" There she was asking questions like that. Clark shook his head.

"It should be an easy answer, right? You're my friend, not…" He couldn't finish his thought, he didn't know how to.

Silence reigned for what seemed like forever. They were both confused and Lois realized that maybe she should've just answered no, even if it wasn't true. Clark loved Lana, and neither she nor some aunt from a dead planet had the right to confuse him like that, and much less on the expense of her feelings.

"You love Lana, not me, that much should be clear Smallville, I'll just tell her no and get this over with." Lana? He hadn't even thought of her since… Hell, he couldn't remember when he had thought of her last.

Lois was standing up and he started chuckling. Was he making fun of her? Indignation started to boil up within her. She knew he loved her, but did he have to make it so blatantly obvious? And why did it hurt so much?

"Look you farm hick, I didn't ask for this, I for one don't believe we could ever make a good match, alien or not, you're too much of a goody-two-shoes for my taste…" He watched her as she ranted on, focusing on her feelings instead. She was hurt. Realization hit him and he jumped up and grabbed her by her arms.

"Lois, I wasn't making fun of you." One simple sentence and she stopped. "I laughed, well, if you had read my feelings you would have realized that it was a bitter laugh." She didn't understand. "Lana hasn't even crossed my mind for the last couple of days." Lois blinked furiously.

"Really?" she felt her vulnerability beginning to show, so she covered it up the best she knew how. "So being with me doesn't totally gross you out?" she said playfully.

"Does it gross you out?" He smiled warily.

"I asked you first Smallville."

"Look, remember what you said in the tube? That we must be pretty stupid?" She nodded with a smile. "Well, I don't know if you know this about me, but I don't like being told what to do. If you really are my life-partner, I would have like to fall in love with you and find out my own way. Now, whatever I feel about you will feel forced. I don't think you deserve that." She realized he was still holding her and it didn't bother her.

"I was telling Elena the exact same thing the other day. I don't like being told what to do either." Clark smiled. "Don't you dare say it." His smile only grew wider. She swatted his chest. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything Lois." He was trying hard not to burst out laughing.

"You don't have to, remember? I can read you like an open science fiction book." His smile waned.

"Yeah, so what are we going to do to make that go away?" he was reminded of the problem at hand. Lois had that quality of making him forget, yet bring him down to earth all at the same time, and like that another thought hit him. He felt the same around her, truth out and all, he was Clark Kent and Kal – El and for once the two became one.

"Why don't we give it a try, if it doesn't feel right, well, it's ultimately our choice. Let's look at it this way, she's only throwing the possibility out there, its up to us to decide if its something we want for our lives." He started to run his hands up and down her arms, sending a shiver down her spine. He immediately stopped.

"Umm, what do you mean? Dating?" 

"Well, on some level, I mean, how do you do this really? Start making out to see if the sparks fly?" They both looked at each other.

"Let's not do that, okay?" Clark couldn't help but grin. Was she uncomfortable?

"Fine, so this is it. Gotta tell you Lois, never thought I'd date you." The playfulness was back.

"Well, its not that bad, you know, although I gotta admit you'd be the nicest guy I have ever dated." They stood and started for the door.

"That bad, huh?"

"You have no idea." Lois sighed. The decision had been made. "I need to talk to Chloe." She said, changing the subject. Clark nodded.

"And I need to talk to Jor-El" Lois winced.

"I had forgotten about that. Do you think he'll give you more time? Your training is far more important than figuring out whether I want you in my life or not." Clark stopped and turned to face her.

"You know something? I hadn't realized how important it could be until all this happened. Part of me was planning on deserting." He felt ashamed of that now.

"Now why would you do that? Out of all the people in the world you never struck me as someone to shy away from responsibility. Me, yeah, but you?" Although her words were tough to hear, there was no reproach in her tone, no disappointment. "I guess this will serve you more good than you thought." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yeah? How's that?" He didn't like the mischievous coursing through her.

"Well, at the end of the end you'll not only become a true super man" She leaned and heard him gulp, her lips only inches away from his ear. "You'll also have me" She whispered.

She always had fun making him uncomfortable, she never had the chance to revel in her triumph as red-hot desire burned through her so fast and overpowering, it sent her stumbling backwards, tripping on her own feet. He caught her only a moment before she hit the ground.

"We should go" was all he could muster, his arms full of her. His eyes told her the source of such a strong feeling, her own body mirroring it.

"Yeah, we should." But neither moved. Had this always been between them? She had seen that look before, the flushed face, the averting eye, but had never known what was behind it. Now that she did, she was pleasantly surprised.

With newfound confidence she made up her mind. She needed to know if she loved him, right?

And so it happened, that in the most cliché position ever; his strong arms around her, holding her only inches away from the floor; she did the unthinkable.

She kissed him.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

He read her intentions and didn't back away. Her body was as much on fire as his, and it only fueled his desire and curiosity. What would kissing Lois Lane be like? He had thought about it many times, albeit as a way to shut her up most of the time, but there nonetheless. He had never openly admitted it to anyone, and probably never would. For the longest time he thought she wouldn't like the idea, but now every pore of her body exuded the want to kiss him. So he didn't stop her, he couldn't stop her.

She used her hand to pull herself up and meet his lips. She pressed softly against his at first, gravity not helping matters much. Electricity shot through him at that tentative touch, her own reaction matching his. His hand found its way to her head and pulled her closer, flushed against him as he stood, her feet dangling a couple inches off the ground.

She nibbled on his lips and he moaned, he tried to control his actions but she wasn't making it easy. Every nip, every time their lips met his blood turned to fire and she felt it, there was no hiding from her now. She felt his self restraint slowly give way, and he reciprocated, catching her lower lip with his mouth, sucking it lightly. She gasped and couldn't help but smile as her body almost convulsed at the unexpected shock of pleasure that coursed through her at his action. His skin burned and as shocked as she was at her reaction, his left her wanting more.

Her legs dangled, annoying her to her wits end so she did the logical thing and wrapped them around his waist, bringing their bodies much closer. She felt his tongue shyly slide along her lips, she didn't wait for him to ask and granted him access to her mouth. A battle ensued, their tongues reaching out, fighting to explore each other's mouth. Their bodies fought as well, each wanting to match or surpass what they felt, only wanting to please and be pleased. If her heartbeat skipped a beat when his hand ran down her back, he'd tighten his hold and venture an inch lower, where her shirt ended and a small patch of skin was available to touch; only making her suck on his tongue which in turn made his legs turn to jelly, making her suck harder.

He opened his eyes slightly, looking for the nearest wall. They crashed against it, both too occupied to notice how it absorbed the blow, causing her back no pain.

Lois broke away first, gasping for air, but that didn't deter him; his lips finding a new center of focus, her neck. Her eyes rolled over and she angled her neck to give him better access. He suddenly pulled away, blinking furiously. She couldn't help but blush knowing what had made him pull away. He smiled when he saw her cheeks redden, and took a deep breath in a effort to calm himself down. She sighed and let her head lay on his shoulder.

"How long have you felt this?" She whispered. He put her down gently grabbed her face with his hands. He touched his forehead to his.

"I don't know, but much longer than I'd care to admit. You?" She feigned ignorance.

"Me? Don't know what you're talking about Smallville. This is news for me." She grinned widely at his look of consternation and swatted his arm, her voice turned softer. "Probably since I met you, I mean really you were butt-naked and even though I didn't like you at first I'm anything but blind." She took a step back and looked him up and down. "A girl would have to be blind to not be attracted to you." There was sincerity in her voice.

He averted his eyes, he was genuinely embarrassed.

"Let's go" he muttered and walked out of the room.

"Geez, Clark, you need to learn how to take a compliment." She shrugged and caught up to him.

"I'll take you to the portal, it'll be faster to go to Smallville that way, I'll catch up to you and take you back to London." She cringed, she had completely forgotten about London.

"London, right." She turned thoughtful. She would need to call the General and tell him to look for Lucy on his own. That was not a phone call she was looking forward to. She moved into Clark's arms and they jumped down, she turned her face into his chest, the cold air biting her skin. She needed Chloe right now, she'd have to be careful, for she knew of her cousin's feeling for the man that was holding her right now, but she was the only one that could help her understand.

Lana had to fight the urge to pace back and forth in her small living room. She was sitting next to the phone, one slender finger playing with her straight hair, rolling it and twisting it.

It had been two days since the events at the mansion. Clark had dropped her off and with a soft smile that melted her heart promised to call her later. There had been so much promise and hope in his eyes. She sighed, the wait was killing her, so she huffed in exasperation and made up her mind. Her feet slammed against the floor and she stood, grabbed her keys and walked out the door.

The Talon was buzzing with activity; everyone was off work, looking forward for a cup of coffee with friends and maybe a sweet pastry or two. She spotted Chloe in one of the couches and her face lit up. Maybe she knew where Clark was. She ran the remainder of the stairs.

At that same moment another woman was walking through the front door, her eyes quickly zeroing in on the same blonde, whose face was hidden behind a very thick book. She sighed with relief and practically ran towards the table.

The target sat unaware, surrounded by books on ancient magic, rituals and symbols. She was in the same place than when she had started, nowhere. She was set on finding out what was going on, her mind refusing to accept Joseph's words. Her soulmate. She had begrudgingly accepted the fact that Clark was in love with Lana and had learned to deal with it, but this, this was uncalled for and very unfair. Lois was her cousin, Clark her best friend and life-long platonic love, how was she going to cope with that?

"Chloe" She looked up with a start, shutting the book in front of her abruptly. Lana stood there, her eyes were wide with questions and worry.

"Lana, Hi" There was uncertainty in her voice

"Hey Chlo" She blinked and turned, Lois stood besides Lana, she looked confused and flustered. 

"Lois" She was surprised more than anything, wasn't she supposed to be in London? And why did she feel like a mouse before two very hungry cats?

"I need to talk to you." They said in unison, then looked at each other, Lana questioned her with her eyes, but didn't say a word. She sighed.

"Maybe you can help too. Have any of you seen Clark by any chance?" She sounded so worried, so possessive. Jealousy raged through her, surprising her. She should feel guilty, not jealous. That's when she panicked; she really needed Chloe, alone. She frantically searched Chloe's eyes, which had done the same thing, immediately locking on hers.

Chloe saw the panic in Lois' eyes and something inside her died. Lois only panicked when she felt guilty about something. Had something happened between her and Clark?

"I just got back Lana, I haven't been to the farm yet." Lois finally responded. It wasn't a complete lie.

"I haven't seen him, but have you tried the farm? He's probably helping with the rebuilding. Other than that I have no idea, haven't seen him yet." She smiled as honestly as she could, hoping she wouldn't see through her lie.

The small brunette sighed and looked off to no place in particular. She could visit Lex, she still had a lot of questions to ask him.

"Maybe later. Thanks Chloe." She smiled sweetly and then walked off.

Lois watched as she walked towards the door. Jealousy flared up inside her so hard that all she could see was Lana walking towards the doors. Everything went silent, only her footsteps were audible, one by one, getting closer to the door. Her heart raced and she fought a strong urge to pound the little princess to a pulp. What did she want with Clark? Did she even think she had a chance with him now that he was with her? The door slammed behind Lana, breaking the spell. The buzz of people talking slowly made itself audible once again, everything reclaiming clarity in her eyes.

"Lois? Are you okay?" Chloe had watched everything completely dumbstruck. Her cousin's face turned from panic to that of pure hate within seconds.

She shook her head and sat down. "I'm fine, nothing's happening here. So have you found anything new?" She tried to change the subject.

"Lois," there was a warning in her voice. "If looks could kill Lana would be lying on the floor cut up in pieces. What happened?" She was genuinely concerned.

Lois sighed angrily.

"I don't know okay, all of a sudden I felt angry at her. I wanted to kill her." She put her face in her hands. That was all she was admitting to her.

"Okay, it must be an effect from the spell you and Clark are under. We really need to figure this out before you do something you'll regret." She fished out a book from underneath the stack. "Look, I found the first symbol, I just don't know what it means." She finished lamely. Lois only looked at it briefly.

"That's not going to be necessary Chloe. We went to the fortress and… let's talk about that later, okay? Can we go somewhere more private to talk? Please?" Lois was begging with her eyes and Chloe worried, Lois never begged.

"You're scaring me cuz, what's going on."

"Try being me, then. I'm scared as hell. I barely know Clark and all of a sudden we're soul mates?" As soon as the words left her mouth she winced at the hurt expression on her cousin's face. "No," she sighed in frustration. "You still have feelings for him; I shouldn't talk to you about this." She stood to leave.

"Don't" One word, firmly with conviction, exited her mouth. "It's not like you planned this Lo. Just give me time, okay? Above all I want what's best for you and Clark, and if by design or choice that's each other, I'll cope, one way or the other." She smiled reassuringly.

Lois wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you, I love you more than I do him. You're my family." She sat and held her younger cousin's hand.

Chloe straightened and smiled widely.

"I'm sure, besides, who else is going to believe you when you complain he stood you to prevent an ice making meteor freak from freezing the pipes, leaving all of smallville with no drinkingw ater? Come on, let's go to my house. My dad is gone for the weekend, we'll be able to talk freely."

Lois smiled and helped her gather the books from the table.

"Did you ever even suspect him? I mean…" they walked side by side, the noise surrounding them drowning out her question as they made their way to the door. But Chloe listened and her heart was content.


	17. Chapter 17

Review!!!

* * *

Lois hadn't stopped talking the whole way, and even now, sitting in Chloe's living room, she continued to rant. Chloe remained silent and observant. Lois was genuinely confused, and Chloe was trying her best to be understanding and not let her feelings for Clark get the best of her. Her eyebrows shot up when Lois told her what had just happened at the Fortress, surprised either of them had gone so far, Clark was too much of a Boy Scout.

"You know what freaks me out the most?" Lois looked at her shoes, not daring to look up. "Everything felt natural, as if no line had been crossed, as if that was the next logical step for us to take." She sighed and finally met her cousin's gaze. "It's like our hearts know its right but our minds refuse to believe it."

Chloe couldn't help but smile widely; Lois wasn't one to resort to pseudo poetry to express her feelings.

"This is serious." She did nothing to hide her amusement.

"See?! That's what I've been trying to tell you. I don't think Clark's uncle counted on this. Some things are better left the way they are. This is probably why it would have taken us so long to admit our feelings; our minds are stubborn that way."

"Did she say how long it would have taken, without this 'gift'?" Chloe questioned. She felt committed to helping them out now, Clark's ancestors had to have seen something really special to do something like this. She had just found out about Clark's origin and knew his destiny was far greater that she could even imagine and now looking at her cousin's face, so full of confusion yet glowing with newfound joy, she began to wonder if Lois really was meant to be at his side. "I mean, maybe he's right and he's giving you guys some extra time. I'd love to know who I'll grow old with, I would go looking for him right now if I knew where to find him."

"Right, that sounds good on theory, but how about the experiences along the way? If you did know and went looking for him, who's to say you won't find him going through a bad patch in his life and he's not the man you'll fall in love with? Timing plays its part too you know. Maybe that's what our minds are screaming, it's not the time." They sat in silence for a while, each lost in thought.

Chloe processed all the information Lois had given her and what Clark had told in her in the hospital. Everything just mixed and didn't match in her brain.

Lois sighed and ran over the last two days in her head. A lot had happened and she realized that her behavior had been erratic at best. She had begged, whined and spouted corny lines.

"Maybe you just need to stop fighting it." Chloe broke the silence. "You know you could do a lot worse than Clark Kent."

"See, that's the point, why do I need to do anyone?" Chloe snickered. Lois' eyes widened comically. "I didn't mean… Oh crap."

"Come on, you've already admitted to loving him, just go and do what you have to do."

"I have said no such thing Chloe Sullivan." Her face turned beet red.

"Yes you did, back at The Talon." Chloe nodded and raised her eyebrows. "You said you loved me more than you loved him."

"I didn't mean it like that…" Lois suddenly looked confused. "I…" Her mood shifted then, she stood upright and blinked. A deep sense of sadness and guilt had hit her. At Chloe's questioning gaze she answered. "Something is wrong with Clark." And with that she stood and faced away from Chloe, who sat and waited.

_Clark? Are you okay?_  
_  
Huh? Oh, Lois, yeah, I'm, I'm fine. _

_No, you're not, you're sad. What's going on?_

_If you already know why do you ask Lois? _She was taken back at his response.

_Fine, you want to go be mopey that's fine by me._ She turned around, facing a waiting Chloe.

"He's being a jerk. Do you have ice cream?" Her face was tight and tense; she could tell that whatever had happened had deeply affected her. Chloe decided not to pursue that matter further until Lois had calmed down. She watched as Lois rummaged through her freezer and shook her head. This was for real, and that was okay with her.

"So, getting back on topic, did you two decide on anything?" Lois froze and slowly straightened her back, not ready to face her. She had speculated with her, not quite knowing how to tell her they would start dating.

"Lois, what do I have to do or say to make you believe that I'm okay with this? Clark is my best friend and you are my cousin/best friend, I don't want to be an obstacle in this, so let me help." She heard her sigh and then slowly turn to face her, closing the door behind her.

"We decided to stop fighting it as you said, we'll date, I guess."

"So you're, you're Clark's girlfriend?" she fought back a laugh, "Well, I guess it is now safe to go to hell since it has frozen over." Her smile was wide and playful.

"Yeah, well, make sure you take your skates, it makes for a better hobby than snow ball fighting with little demons." Chloe's eye shot wide open, they both laughed at the mental image of Chloe fighting horned creatures.

"Yeah you would know." Chloe shot back. Her cousin was back.

* * *

They were sitting down watching a movie when a knock was heard. Chloe stood to get it.

"It's okay, I'll get it. It's Clark." She explained. It had been hard to concentrate on the movie with his emotions on her mind. Something had happened but she had no choice but wait until he looked for her. The time had finally come because a slightly more settled Clark stood on the other side of Chloe's door.

Chloe shrugged and settled back down on the couch, trying to find the comfy position she had been in before the interruption.

Lois opened the door and walked outside with him, closing the door behind them. She waited for him to say something.

"Hey," he managed out. "About earlier, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt…" he took a deep breath, she only stared. The fact that she wasn't mad or sad helped him a lot, and it reminded him of what he had come to say. "I ran into Lana." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and worry, but she kept quiet. "I won't bother you with the details but it confirmed what we had decided. Seeing her, talking to her made me realize that sometimes we don't see very well when it comes to our own life. I wanted her for so long…" he trailed off.

Lois couldn't help but smile slightly. "You don't have to explain anything, okay?" she rubbed her hand against his arms in reassurance, and then grabbed his hand. They stood in silence for a second.

He looked down at their hands and turned his hand to intertwine his fingers with hers, it felt so right. He smiled.

"Lois Lane, do you want to go to dinner with me tonight?" He looked up and met her surprised look. He heard her heart skip a beat. He leaned in and whispered, "I'll take that as a yes."

Lois felt her face flush as she raised her hand to hit him upside the head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, even his head is as hard as steel." Chloe's voice came from the doorway. They both turned to look at her in surprise.

"How long have you been out here?" they asked in unison.

"Now that was freaky." She laughed and then put on her best motherly-Martha Kent sounding voice. "Long enough young man, now run along, Ms. Lane here has to get ready." She jutted her chin out and reached for Lois, dragging her inside. Clark looked down at his empty hand and smiled.


	18. Chapter 18

Yep, I am officially back. Expect updates every Tuesday. And for the new ones, welcome to my story!!

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"No one should be alone, my son." Jor-El's voice seemed to soften. "Your mother made me see that. In your studies of the known galaxies you will see for yourself the importance of that one person in somebody's life, no matter the planet."

"What about my training? Lois has made me realize that there is a lot I don't know yet. I don't think she could accept someone who was so uncomfortable in his own skin." He saw his reflection in one of the crystals and couldn't help but notice how relaxed his demeanor was. Maybe he was already beginning to feel better about himself.

"Your training is now more important than ever, but so is her decision. So from now on your training will be couple days at a time. For every 2 days of training I will release you for one day. That should be enough for her to make her decision and for you to see her for who she really is: your soul mate."

Clark blinked, still surprised that such a strong concept was being used to connect him to Lois Lane. He decided to brush it away and concentrate on the opportunity that lay before him. Not only was he going to be training, he was going to be able to go home, regularly. He remembered something and sobered. He was afraid of mentioning it, but knew he had to anyway.

"Didn't you say before I had to cut my ties to this world? Now you're giving me a human soul mate? I don't understand."

Silence ruled for a couple of seconds; then his father's voice resounded through the fortress.

"I would have preferred that you had met this girl further down your path, when you had learned to balance both sides of who you are. The first step was to cut every human tie to be able to fully embrace your Kryptonian heritage. This changes everything for a while, but if she is everything your aunt claims, she will help the process. The day is almost gone. We will begin the training tomorrow." With that the console lost its light and only silence surrounded him.

He straightened his tie as he stepped off the platform and headed for the Smallville portal.

Lois hated to wait.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

She though she could do it. When she did Lois' hair and saw her smile so wide it hurt just to watch, she was sure she could. When she'd watch Lois' face draw a blank, she knew why and she smiled. When her cousin twirled, yes twirled, in front of her asking how she looked she knew she could handle Clark dating Lois. She had never seen the General's daughter so happy, that had to be enough.

To her dismay the minute the doorbell rang and Clark Kent walked into her living room all man and handsome, she almost lost it. Longing hit her first, low and simmering. She managed to smile and nod her head.

"Hey Chloe" He flashed his megawatt smile and she felt her legs wobble. His eyes caught sight of Lois then, and his smile widened, his eyes shone and anger took over her body.

Plans starting running through her head, something had to be done. Maybe if the bracelet was destroyed. The wheels in her head started turning before she even fully realized what was going on. Lois' face appeared in front of her, breaking her internal plotting.

"Thanks cuz, love ya." Lois' grateful smile was followed by a kiss on the cheek and Chloe felt everything fall apart. She smiled back and remembered to wave as Lois joined Clark and they left.

The door closed and she collapsed on the couch. Never had she felt so conflicted. On one hand she loved her cousin; on the other she still had feelings for the stupid alien. What was a girl to do?

She eyed the book Professor Willowbrook had lent her and rose. Maybe if they figured out the symbols they could find a way to break the connection. At least that would give her more time to get accustomed to the idea that Lois Lane was Clark's soul mate. If she was lucky maybe it wasn't true after all.

"So where are you taking me Smallville?" She raised her eyebrows in question.

"Have you called Elena?" He asked, a small smile on his face.

"No, but what does that have to do…" She felt the world rush past her before she was able to finish her sentence. She felt his arms close around her as he sped up. She held on as hard as possible, her arms felt small surrounding his torso, so she reached for his neck instead as fast as she could with so much momentum around her. She took a deep breath, taking in his musky scent. She snuggled deeper in, his heart thundering in her ear.

Time seemed to stop as every inch of her felt the length of his body against hers. His muscular build accommodated her figure. She felt him grow tense first, and then he slowed down. She looked up with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry." She managed, flattered at his reaction but truly sorry there was nothing hidden. He smiled back at her and took a deep breath before speeding up again.

After what seemed forever they stopped in a deserted alley. Lois loosened her arms and tried to take a step back, but his arms were still around her. Even before looking up to him, the mix of his feelings and hers was dizzying.

"Well, that was harder than I thought." She meant to break the silence but his face flushed deep red and his embarrassment was obvious. "No, not that, I meant… If it was I swear I didn't notice" She stepped back, telling her brain to shut up. "I meant to say that it sure is easier to be around a guy when he can't feel everything you're feeling. There's something about keeping the mystery and all that." She felt an attack of words hitting her but could do nothing to stop it.

"You know, one would think it would make life easier, but it doesn't. I've prided myself in reading people well, but this, this takes it to a whole 'nother level. I sigh and instead and keeping you wondering you know exactly why and that turns you on, and by effect turns me on. I need to make this go away before I do something stupid. Like at your fortress, we were like two flies going straight to the 'get down tonight' light." With every word she retreated, flailing her arms.

"Lois." He saw the large brick that lay in her backward path, but she kept talking and walking. He reached for her then, stopping her. She blinked in surprise. "You were about to trip, and we didn't want a repeat of last time, right?" He smirked playfully when she narrowed her eyes.

"No, we don't. Now where are we and how do you plan for us to get through this?" She pulled her arm away and crossed her arms across her chest, making her breast jut out. "Clark!" She reached to hit him, but he moved too fast.

"Sorry. I promise to control myself if you promise to… stop being so…" He was flailing, bad.

"Okay, super alien. Let's just talk, okay."

"Okay." There was a long pause. They both opened their mouths at the same time to speak.

"You go." Clark motioned to her.

"Nah, you start. Let me help. Where are you taking me?" She turned and started walking out of the alley.

"Well, I brought us to London. Last time we were here I saw a nice place, thought we could eat and say goodbye to Elena." He followed her out into the street and placed his arm around her waist to lead her in the right direction.

"Well, that's really nice of you Smallville. Now take your hand off unless you want to go towards that special light again." He dropped his hand like a hot potato and resumed walking.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

It was well into night when Lois and Clark exited the restaurant and headed for the hotel Elena resided in. He had made sure everything was walking distance to limit the superspeed.

Clark smiled as Lois told him about one of the many times she got in trouble with the General. He congratulated himself in being able to focus on Lois' inner beauty. It was just as distracting, but the feelings it procured from him were a lot purer.

"So did you ever get in trouble? With your reaction to red meteor rock there must have been an incident or two, right?"

Clark smiled sadly before answering her with a question of his own. "How much did you 'see' of me anyway? I thought my life flashed before you when you fainted."

"Which of the many times?" she asked

"I don't know, all together, I guess." Chilly air began circling around them, without even thinking he took his jacket off and placed it around her shoulders. She looked up in surprise.

"Thanks" Her eyes met his in a gaze that seemed to embrace them. She broke eye contact. "I guess just your basics. Suddenly I knew about things that had affected you: Lana's tattoo, the crystals, Khyla, Jor-El, the fake Kara. The second time around I knew where you were from, what you were capable off and the meteor rocks; not very specific. So I ask again, did you ever get in trouble?"

"Lots of time, and yes most on red Kryptonite, but sometimes I got in trouble without being high on the stuff. Actually a good one was before I even discovered it." He felt her lean closer her in anticipation. "I must have been 6 at the time; I was really excited about Christmas and wanted to help with the decorations. My mother never let me near them, I would always break them, but the star was mine to put on top when it was all done."

Lois smiled at the nostalgic tone his voice had taken; she looked up and just watched his face. His eyes shone and even as he spoke his mouth seemed stuck in a permanent smile.

"I watched as they put the ornaments on, that year they upgraded my watching status and let me put a couple ornaments that were sturdier. I was extra careful and managed to put them on. The phone ran when we were almost done and while my father went to answer, Mom went to get cookies. They seemed to take forever so I decided to finish."

"Oh no…" She could just imagine little Clark in front of the Christmas tree, a determined look in his eye.

"I put the rest of the ornaments no problem, but then came the star. My parents were still not back, so I got a chair and climbed it. I still couldn't reach it, so I jumped. Three things happened almost at once. I jumped high enough to reach the top, so I reached to put the star, but the momentum was too great. I smashed the star on top of the tree, the tree tumbled under the force of my hand and on my way down I broke the chair.

"My parents decide to come back then only to find the Christmas tree completely destroyed and me in the middle of a broken chair." He smiled widely then. "My mother was so mad at me, but then Dad started laughing so hard she got angry at him instead. We learned an important lesson that day. Do not mess with Martha Kent's Christmas tree. We were both in the dog house for about a week. She was so mad she didn't punish me, just muttered under her breath whenever Dad and I came into the house." He finished and looked at her. A boyish grin graced his face and she couldn't help but grin back.

"Even your mischief is wholesome Smallville." She stopped walking and half turned to face him. How could such a great man be for her? She couldn't help but wonder. He was so good, too good. She reached for his face, her fingers traced his cheekbone. For a second she could see her life with him, and she liked it, no, wanted it. Her eyes became unfocused and dreamy when a wave of tenderness filled her. Lust and desire she knew, but this, this was new. The fact the she, Lois Lane, elicited such a feeling in him blew her away.

His hand covered hers and moved it to his neck; his other hand took her waist and pulled her against him. His eyes found her lips and he moved towards them, slowly, taking in every breath she took.

When their lips met in a whisper of a kiss, her lips parted in a soft sigh. He kissed her again, their lips locking softly, with a hint of a nibble before breaking contact. They smiled at each other between kisses, the next kiss deeper than the one before.

Lois Lane had been kissed before, many times, but never had kisses been so sweet or so fulfilling as these.


	19. Chapter 19

Here it is, I'm going to try to post every Tuesday. Don't forget to review!!

**Chapter 19**

Professor Willowbrook had been getting ready to leave his office when Chloe Sullivan had called. Now, three hours later, he realized he should have told her to meet another day. She had arrived determined to 'fix it'. He stared at her as she grabbed another book from his office library, her brow creased in concentration. He sighed and stood.

"I think we should continue this another day, Ms. Sullivan." He reached for his coat and reached around her for his keys.

"No, wait. Do you understand this?" She held out the book in front of him. He forced himself to concentrate and looked at the images in front of him. Recognition hit him almost instantly.

"Yes, this is the symbol for sacrifice, it does look like the third one, doesn't it." He went to his desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a paper, the three Kawatche symbols that had appeared on Lois sketched there. "This is knowledge, this is sacrifice and now that I'm looking at it, the middle one …" He didn't finish his sentence as he pulled another book from the shelf. He found the page he was looking for, and then pulled the paper next to it.

Chloe looked at the symbols, they seemed similar, but not quite the same.

"It's not the same." She stated, he smiled then pulled another piece of paper from his desk.

"Look now." He placed a large sketch of the Kryptonian symbol for soulmate in the middle.

They both stared at the three, Joseph noticed the connection first and backed away, letting her see it.

"Oh, there it is. It's a combination of the Kawatche and the Kryptonian symbols." She smiled at the revelation, then realized she still had no idea what it meant. "So what does it mean?" She looked up at him, a nostalgic look on his face.

He sat on his chair and even swiveled a little bit. Chloe just stood and waited, she felt a story coming.

"The Kryptonian symbol you know, it's Clark's soulmate. This," he said, pointing to the symbol in the book , "means love. All three form the saying, although its not really a solution, as I had originally thought, but rather an explination. Knowledge, love and sacrifice. At the end of a Kawatche wedding ceremony it is chanted to welcome the new couple and remind them that the union of two souls is as beautiful as it is hard. _With knowledge comes love, and sacrifice always follows_. That's what these three symbols together mean. The Kryptonian component was probably added to personalize it for your friend." He chuckled and stood to go. "Now you know, this was not intended to hurt them, but to let them know. Do you understand?" He looked at her pained expression and continued. "This is bigger than anyone, Ms. Sullivan. If with what they know now they decide to be together, then it was meant to be. Nothing in these books will fix it, or undo it."

Chloe fell, defeated, on the nearest chair. She felt a hand pat her shoulder and she looked up.

"Time heals and tells all. Give it time." His words sunk in and she blinked to fight back the tears.

She stood then and gathered her things. She smiled in ways of a thank-you, not trusting her voice, and left.

She walked angrily towards her car, tears burned down her cheeks. They were Lois and Clark. They were hers, not each others'. _I mean, a wedding chant_? She scoffed, no, she refused to accept it, even if she was beginning to believe it. She's rather see him with Lana if it came down to that, why wasn't she his soul-mate?

As she approached her car she violently brushed the tears away. Why was she being so horrible? She knew Clark was a good guy, and her cousin deserved a good guy. Why did the thought suddenly rip a hole in her heart?

Maybe she was the one that needed fixing.

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"Okay, just stand back and don't say a word, okay? Elena is very particular about me, we need to convince her that I have to leave and that my plane leaves tonight, or else she will insist on me staying the night." The elevator pulled to a stop and she walked out. Clark nodded and followed.

"But wait, it's near midnight, do flights even go that late?" Elena didn't strike him as being dumb.

"It's called a redeye Smallville." She really hoped there was one tonight. Elena wasn't past calling and making sure. Maybe she needed to come up with something else.

"Why don't you stay here tonight? I can pick you up…" Then he remembered. "No, I can't, my training starts at sunrise. But you can catch a plane." She shrugged and threw a glance his way.

"Maybe, but I don't know, I kinda like riding the Kent speed train." She smirked and braced herself for his reaction. She kept walking forward and forced herself not to look, just feel. Yup, there it was. Embarrassment mixed with arousal hit her like a tidal wave. She smiled smugly and knocked on the door.

Clark swallowed hard and tried to maintain composure. He wanted to laugh and scream in frustration at the same time. How did she do that to him? Why did she enjoy it so much? The door opened and he pushed his wonderings aside.

"Lola!! Where have you been?" The small brunette threw her arms around her, Lois turned her head and rolled her eyes at his surprised look

"I hate that nickname, you know that!"

"Yeah, well, you know I only use it when you're in trouble, and you, señorita, are in trouble, oh, hi, Clark!" Her tone changed drastically when she noticed his presence. "Please come in, if her disappearance had anything to do with you, I might, might, let it slide." She led them in and closed the door behind them. "So, where did you take her?, and how did you even manage to change? You do look adorable, who did your hair?"

Clark stayed close to the door as he watched their exchange. Elena fussed over Lois like a mother hen, and Lois was taking it in stride. Since knowing her the pool of adjectives to describe her had grown. At first none had been too nice, and then he grew to respect her. She had her own set of rules, rules he didn't understand at first, but now he was beginning to. Just sensing her feelings at that moment he could tell that her bond with the Spanish girl was strong, probably from having been through a lot together. He frowned as he realized that Lois now knew more about him than him about her. That was new and he needed to fix that right away, he wanted to know Lois Lane.

_Clark, follow my lead, okay?_ Her voice interrupted his thoughts, his eyes locked into hers and he realized she hadn't spoken out loud.

_Lois?_ He opened his mouth to say something; then decided against it.

"Look Elena, we kind of want to end the date somewhere private, and since my plane leaves in the morning…" She smiled and winked at him.

_What are you doing?_ He smiled back nervously, a blush began to creep over his face. Damn it, he hated blushing so much. How was he even able to blush anyway? He was going to ask Jor-el about that.

_If she thinks we're a couple, she'll let me go no questions asked. She's a sucker for romance, now put your arm around me and act like a man. _

_What? Like a man?_ Did she think he was that much of a loser? He reeled in his embarrassment and channeled his inner Kal. She was going to pay for that comment.

He took two wide steps and was next to her. He placed his arm around her and nuzzled her neck.

"I hope you don't mind. Now that we're together, I don't want to be away from her a single minute." He turned her towards him and grabbed her face with his. His thumb grazed her lips softly, and he stared at her with his trademark puppy eyes. "Wouldn't you feel the same way?" His tone and volume dropped dramatically as he closed the distance between them, his eyes intent on hers. Her eyes practically glazed over, dropping to his lips. Her heart rate sped up and she licked her lips in anticipation. For a second he had forgotten what he had planned to do, all of a sudden all he wanted to kiss her like there was no tomorrow; but he didn't, he controlled his urge and instead of kissing her lips, he let his graze the tip of her nose.

He smiled at her confusion and looked back at Elena, one hand was to her chest, the other against her forehead.

"Hmm, pardon me if I swoon. Yes, go, are there anymore of you back home?" She sighed dramatically as she let herself fall to the couch.

"Sorry, I'm pretty sure there's no one like him." Lois smiled tightly, _and at this rate there won't be any of you left, that was low Smallville. I do know your weakness, remember?_

_We're even Lane, never question my virility, okay?_ He rose an eyebrow for effect, then confusion lit his eyes. She exuded pleasure and arousal. Wait, so she liked being bested?

Getting to know Lois Lane was proving to be a complicated endeavor.


	20. Chapter 20

Don't forget to review!! I hope no one gets confused with the time change between London and Smallville.

Chapter 20

Lois Lane found herself humming as she placed her key in Chloe's door. She was tired and jet-lagged, but she was humming. Her heart felt light and tight at the same time, like a balloon that had been filled to the hilt. Yeah, that seemed accurate. She turned the knob and opened the door. Voices from the inside were suddenly very audible to her. She meant to speak up to make her presence known, she hated eavesdropping, even if it was by accident. Chloe's voice then became very loud, forcing her to listen.

"Look, I'm as baffled as you are, okay? He should be with you, I get that. He's wanted you forever and all of a sudden some magic trick makes them, them, soulmates?" She seemed agitated.

"Soulmates? I don't understand." Lana's small voice responded.

"You and me both. At least you I expected, but Lois? Believe me when I say I am more in shock than you are. Lois can't commit if her life depended on it! I guess that's what globetrotting does to a person." Chloe had moved so her back was now visible to the stupefied form that was now Lois Lane. "Moving away is so much easier than staying in one place at once. No attachments. You know, now that I think about it, just wait a while, she'll probably leave him too, than you'll have him all to .. Lois!" She had turned then, catching sight of her. The bitterness in her expression changed instantly to one of surprise and something Lois couldn't read.

"No, I didn't mean.. Lois." She finished lamely.

Lois started to back away, slowly, a single tear slid down her cheek.

Lana looked up then, her eyes surveying her rival. Chloe had said it was magic, so it wasn't her faul, really. Pain gripped her heart and she could no longer stay there.

"I should go." She grabbed her purse and took the long way around the couch to reach the door.

"Is that what you think of me?" was all that she was able to articulate, a sob choked her. She had always joked about her unstableness, but to hear her say it in that tone… it weighed down on her like a rock.

"No, Lois, I'm sorry. I was being stupid, I just didn't know how to react to all this." She pleaded with her eyes, Lois pain tearing at her.

"You said you were okay with this. I didn't ask for this, I wouldn't." She took a deep breath and her façade changed in a second, her hurt was no longer evident. She had put up her walls, and for some reason that hurt Chloe more than seeing her cry.

"Lo." She whispered as she watched her turn on her heel and leave. "Where are you going to go?" She said to the empty space that surrounded her. It had grown dark and she knew Lois must be tired from the time difference.

She fought the impulse to cry and squared her shoulder. She made the mess, she was going to clean it up. Her hand reached for her phone and dialed.

It rang twice before Clark's worried voice came over the speaker.

"Chloe? What's wrong?" It took her a second to remember that he would feel Lois. "Is Lois okay?"

"No, no she isn't and it's all my fault. I said something she wasn't supposed.. and now.. I don't know, just find her, okay?" She couldn't find a way to justify what she had said, whether it was meant for her to hear or not wasn't the point. She closed her eyes tightly, still not believing she had hurt her like that. She knew how fragile Lois really was, she knew why her walls were so high. If anyone in the world deserved someone like Clark Kent, no, needed someone like him, it was her. She had been so blind and stupid. "If she is really supposed to be with you, take care of her, okay? She's not easy for a reason, she may not accept it but her heart needs some serious repairing," _specially after what I did._

"Okay, but you will have to explain later, we are not done." His voice was firm.

"Fine, just go and do your alien thing and find her." She hung up.

A sense of peace came over her then. She just needed to make the decision to be on board with all the mumbo jumbo, the rest would fall into place. It had to.

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Clark had been helping his mom pick up after dinner when it happened. With the time difference he had gotten home in time for it. He ate and told his parents about Lois and the bracelet. They were surprised at the means, but not at the results.

"Oh, come on, Lois?" He had said incredulously.

"Yeah, she pushes your buttons, challenges you. That's a sign of a keeper." Jonathan smiled at his wife then, a secret look passing between them.

Now, a full day since everything had happened clarity was setting in. He realized he felt more at ease with himself, more hopeful.

Then a sense of deep sadness and unworthiness washed over him, he almost dropped the plate he had been holding.

"Honey, are you okay?" Martha placed a soapy hand on his arm.

"It's Lois, something's wrong." He placed the plate in the soapy water in front of his mom and stepped away from the kitchen.

_Lois, what's wrong?_

_Leave me alone, Kent_. Came her short reply

Before he could reply, the cell phone in his pocket rang. He thought of not answering, but changed his mind when he saw it was Chloe.

"Chloe, what's wrong? Is Lois okay?" Something in the back of his mind chastised him for not saying hi first, he pushed it away.

"No, no she isn't and it's all my fault. I said something she wasn't supposed.. and now.. I don't know, just find her, okay?"

He frowned, did it have to do with the symbols? Maybe she had discovered something wrong. He began to worry, but before he could ask any questions, she continued talking.

"If she is really supposed to be with you, take care of her, okay? She's not easy for a reason, she may not accept it but her heart needs some serious repairing." Her voice sounded forlorn and regretful.

Okay, now he was confused, but Lois was hurting so the questions were going to have to wait.

"Okay, but you will have to explain later, we are not done." He said as seriously as possible.

"Fine, just go do your alien thing and find her." She ordered over the phone then hung up.

He put the phone in his pocket and closed his eyes, focusing his senses on her heartbeat. He found it quickly, so he turned his focus on any sound around her that could give away her location. He could hear metal, creaking almost rhythmically. Sand was being pushed together in a specific pattern. He smiled in recognition and sped away.

He stopped at the gate of the elementary playground, Smallville had no park, per se. The elementary's playground served the community with its swings, courts and slides. He pushed it opened and walked towards the swings. A lone figured sat in the middle one, bare feet dragged along the sand underneath, forming circles.

She made quite a picture. Her long hair fell in defined curls over her hung face, her blue dress dragged next to her feet, the edged getting dirtier by the second. Her long arms held onto the swing, as she used her body to move it back and forth.

He reached her and stood in front of her, blocking the light from the basketball court. She didn't budge.

"Told you to leave me alone, Smallville." Her voice was hoarse from crying.

"Chloe called, told me to find you." He bended one knee and reached one hand to her chin, the other held the swing steady. "She sounded worried and very sorry." He gently pulled her face up, she pulled away, her hand shooting up and wiping her face. Her makeup was smeared, giving her two black eyes. She tried to look away, but his hand found her face again, facing it forward.

She took a deep breath and met his gaze, her eyes were guarded, but still wet from tears.

"She only said the truth and reminded me of it in the process. I don't do well in relationships. I don't do long lasting ones at all. I'm not your girl."

He mulled over her words for a second, now he knew that he knew absolutely nothing of what had transpired between the two cousins. He decided to get to that later, for now he was going to address only what she said. He stood and sat on the swing next to her, twisting it so he was facing her.

"Maybe, we did said this wasn't written in stone, this is still up to us."

"Exactly. I liked the idea of you, I mean, what's not to like? Sure, steady, reliable, but you see, I'm not so sure I'd like that." _I'm not sure I deserve it_, she thought to herself.

"Don't do that, I'm not better or above you Lois." Frustration took over him.

"Did you just read my mind? I said that to myself, not to you." Crap, was their connection getting deeper?

"No, I didn't have to read your mind, I can feel what you feel, remember? You are worth a lot, any guy would be lucky to have you. I'm just a guy that was dropped on this planet whose sun happens to give me powers. That makes me different, not holy." His words were full of conviction, and she knew he meant them.

She hung her head again and watched as she played with the sand with her toes.

"Even if that were true, there's still Chloe." She lifted her head, meeting his eyes. "She still has feelings for you, I can't do that to her." She was resolute.

He looked up to the sky to where his planet used to be. He sighed and looked at her, he reached for her hand.

"Chloe has always and will always be a great friend. I had no idea she harbored feelings for me, I thought..." He was sincerely surprised.

"I guess x-ray vision doesn't do much to help you see a girl's heart, huh?"

"No, relatives on a non-existent planet had to intervene for me to realize how cool you are." They shared a smile before he continued. "You know I fought this at first, I was convinced I loved Lana. I was convinced that I had to run away from my heritage to be happy. That's why I was thinking of not going back to Jor-el, I wanted a normal life. I wanted to be normal." He saw her open her mouth to say something, he lifted his hand, "Let me finish." She lifted her eyebrow in disapproval, but kept her mouth shut.

"This connection between us has only been for what, a day or two? It's forcing me to look at myself, to analyze my feelings. I realize now that what I wanted was not only selfish, but unrealistic. Even without my powers, I will never be normal. I will still be an alien, I will still have that past; and every time something bad happens, I will regret giving up my powers. I've also realize I don't love Lana, just the idea of her. That was tough, but enlightening at the same time. I don't know what I feel for you, I thought I had you pinned down, but now, I don't know. You are confusing as hell, even with this magic. You push my buttons, but that brings out a side of me that I'm beginning to like." He chuckled. "From the moment I met you, you forced me out of my comfort zone, and I think that has made me a better man. Give me the chance to figure this out, okay? Give me the chance to get to know you, the real you." He pleaded with his eyes.

Lois rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Don't do that! Even I am powerless against the puppy eyes! I'm going to have to come up with some sort of defense or counter attack."

He smiled, her mood was better already.

"So does that mean that I can still visit you when I come home from training?"

"Ugh, you make it sound like you're courting me or something." She cleared her throat and tried her best at an English accent. "Before I leave for duty, may I visit your ladyship so she can decide if I have enough money to make her live like a sloth for the rest of her life?" her voice went up and octave then, "oh, yes, courageous one, and I can convince you that I can bear offspring."

In a second they were both laughing so hard, tears were running down their cheeks. They calmed down after a couple of minutes and he stood to help her out of the swing.

"Let me just visit, we'll leave the kids for later, okay?" He felt the rumble of laughter still in his belly.

"Yeah, way later," she let his hand steady her as she lifted herself from the leather seat. He pulled her easily towards him, her face suddenly against his chest. His smile had frozen in his face, he wanted to kiss her; she could feel it. She needed to stop it, to fight it, but his pull was too strong. Suddenly she could no longer tell where his feelings ended and hers began.

"Did you feel that?" she asked, grabbing onto any opportunity to stop the kiss.

"Yeah, did we just, blend?" He seemed more amused than surprised. He turned his attention back to her, pulling her flush against him. Desire and tenderness flowed between them, he could no longer distinguish between his feelings and hers.

"This should be interesting." He said as he lowered his face to hers and captured her confused frown in a kiss.


	21. Chapter 21

Chloe sat on the couch with her legs curled against her chest and a cup of coffee between her hands. She was determined to wait for Lois and make things right.

When Lana had come to her door, their friendship took the front seat and suddenly she found herself sucked into an after-school special of the 90's. Once her mouth started it completely disconnected from her brain, and it felt good. The aftermath? Not so much.

She eyed the clock. Maybe she decided not to come back at all. That possibility hadn't crossed her mind. She sighed and let her head hang sideways against the couch, her eyes focused on the black T.V. screen. She had really messed up.

The sound of the door knob turning made her tighten her grip on the cup, hope and fear mixed within her. She straightened her legs and stood. It was now or never.

She faced Lois and cringed. Her cousin stood in front of the door, heels in hand. The bottom of her dress was coated in dirt, her eyes were still red and her makeup was completely undone. Her heart twisted, how could she have been so selfish?

"I'm sorry, Lo." She whispered, a fervent plea in her tone.

"Don't say anything, okay? I should've trusted my gut. I had no right dumping this on you. Is that coffee?" Her tone changed so fast and drastically that Chloe blinked. "You do know what time it is, right?"

Chloe couldn't help but scoff and smile. That was Lois, she could be down for the count, but she never stopped caring and protecting. That was why she had to get on the Lois and Clark boat.

"I wasn't sure when you'd be home, so I needed to make sure I was awake, and don't change the subject." She watched as Lois walked towards her.

"Fine, in that case, I'll be taking that." That was as close to a warning as she gave before taking the coffee cup from a surprised Chloe. She was about to protest when Lois rose her hand in a stop motion. "I'm jet-lagged, emotionally drained and a mess, literally, so I get coffee, okay?" She took a small sip and dropped her body on the love seat in front of the couch. She let her shoes drop to hold the warm cup with both hands.

"Fair enough, I owe you that much." Chloe sat and faced her. They sat in silence for a little bit, neither knowing what to say.

"You didn't have to lie, you know. I would have understood and not said anything about all this until it blew over."

Chloe smiled.

"Yeah, I know. I really wanted to, so it wasn't a complete lie. I just… I was used to a certain dynamic. Lana was Clark's dream, I was his friend, you were my cousin. This just upset a balance I wasn't even aware I had."

Lois watched her over the rim of her cup, not sure what to make of everything that was happening.

"Well, your balance isn't the only one being thrown off, I liked the way things were too. I had no idea.." she couldn't finish the sentence.

"That he'd be so great? Yeah, he's for real." Chloe smiled. "Let's do something, okay? I'll let you know when it gets weird for me. I don't want to be cut off because I can't control my stupid crush, you're my cousin and he's my friend."

"How would that work though? You'll just walk off?" She shook her head, "I'll just keep as much as possible to myself until this is gone."

"What if you want to be with him when that happens? I don't want you sacrificing yourself for me, if anyone deserves a guy like Clark, it's you." There was so much conviction behind her words that Lois felt a knot form in her throat.

Silence reigned between them, Lois shifted uncomfortably.

"Look, I was with Professor Willobrook today and we found something." Chloe said, breaking the silence and changing the tone of the conversation. "We figured out what the three smaller symbols mean." She felt herself get excited at sharing the information.

"Really? So what is it? Some chant that will make me impervious to Clark's puppy eyes? 'cause seriously, I'm helpless against them and he now knows it."

Chloe laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, now that I think about it, it must suck not to be able to hide anything from him. Hopefully he won't realize that those eyes have that effect on every breathing female that comes in contact with him. It's his unknown super power" They laughed it up as images of swooning girls filled their minds. "Anyway, you're going to love this by the way," she paused for effect. "It's a Kawatche wedding chant."

Lois' eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"A wedding chant? Those aliens sure know how to lay it thick, don't they?"

"Subtlety must not be in their wide range of skills." She rolled her stiff neck, fatigue was starting to hit her.

"So what is it?"

"Huh?" Chloe looked confused.

"The chant? What does it say?" Lois put the cup down on the coffee table, exhaustion was winning over the coffee, but curiosity was still fighting it off.

"Oh, right. Hold on, I wrote it.." she reached for her pants pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She cleared her throat and read. "With knowledge comes love and sacrifice always follows."

"knowledge comes love.." she mumbled it to herself, Sylar had said something about knowledge and sacrifice. Her brain was too tired to think of the connection, so she gave up. "Okay, I think that's enough for today, let's go to bed before we turn into zombies and start eating our neighbors."

Chloe couldn't agree with her more.

* * *

"Three weeks, really? Wow, almost a month of this craziness." Lois became pensive as he took a bit of Martha's famous apple pie.

"Oh, come on, it hasn't been that bad, has it?" Clark chuckled as he started to put their used plates and leftovers back in the picnic basket.

"Well, that depends on who you ask. My father is so thrilled that I've not only chosen a college, but been accepted to it as well that he hasn't mentioned my failed mission. I'm a pretty self-driven girl, but feeling what you feel during your training days has me on overdrive. I think Chloe has gotten sick of my reorganizing every closet in the house. Uncle Gabe doesn't seem to mind, though." She said with a smile as she helped him.

Her hand brushed over his, the contact sent a shock of electricity through her and she couldn't help but look up at him. His eyes were so open to her that she read his thoughts before his feelings.

"And then there's that." Was that her voice? It seemed lower than usual. She cleared her throat before continuing. "You know, for an innocent farm boy you sure have your mind in the gutter a lot. This magic is bringing out a side of you I thought didn't exist."

"So you though I was blind and dead? To be fair, I don't think the magic has anything to do with that. I'm a guy and you are a very pretty girl." His dark tone made her inhale sharply, leaving her almost speechless, almost.

"Well, this isn't the blushing Clark of yesteryear." She stuffed the last piece of pie in her mouth and averted her eyes.

"Are you blushing? Wow, I've made Lois Lane blush." His eyes danced with uncontained joy and mirth.

She pinched her face and turned away from him. He laughed fully then, a deep-throat chuckle that rattled her nerves and made her go weak in the knees.

"Stop that!" She swatted his arm, he knew full well the effect of that laugh on her. There was no way of hiding it, but that didn't mean she had to take it sitting down.

He stopped her arm in mid-air. His eyes took in her face and memorized each expression that passed through it. She tried to cover her surprise with a smirk. He tucked that look away in 'the many faces of Lois file'. He wanted to remember what she truly felt every time.

He felt her grow uncomfortable under his scrutiny and started to congratulate himself when he felt her lips crash against his. Surprise quickly gave way to surrender and he gathered her in his arms, kissing her back.

She straddled his hips and ran both her hands through his hair, capturing his head. His mind glazed over and all he could think off was her body, her taste. He wondered if that's what drunk felt like.

Her hands left his head and slid under his arms, bringing her flush against him. Her fingers traced the contours of his back as her tongue assaulted his mouth. Her teeth captured his lip and she pulled it before breaking the kiss.

He watched her over heavy-lidded eyes as her mouth curled up. His insides turned to mush and he could no longer think. He leaned in, but before he could kiss her she pushed against his chest and stood.

"It's getting late and I've got a schedule to make. I'll wait for you in the car, give you some time to recover." She winked and walked away.

Clark groaned and blushed furiously at the same time.

Lois Lane was going to be the death of him, so why was he enjoying it so much?

* * *

Review!!!


	22. Chapter 22

Chloe couldn't help but smile when she saw her cousin get that blank look on her face that had grown so familiar. She had been right; once she made the decision to be okay with her best friend and cousin being together, everything became easier to handle. Hindsight sure was 20/20 because now it seemed obvious to her that they should be together. Her fire, his kindness, her impatience, his patience; everything just matched. She watched Lois smile and come back to the reality of the apartment.

"So, how's Clark?" Chloe asked.

Lois' smiled widened as she made her way to the kitchen. "I'm that obvious, huh? I thought I had perfected it. So much for that." she shrugged and reached for the refrigerator.

"No, you have gotten better. It used to be more entertaining, watching your faces and trying to guess what you were saying, or thinking, in your case. I can say you have controlled it as much as it can be controlled. It's just not as much fun." She leaned back on the couch. It felt odd to be sitting in front of the TV on a weekday, but it was a holiday and she was going to take full advantage of it.

Lois wandered in with a bowl of cereal on hand and plopped down next to her.

"Well, I always did say it's way more fun to lose control." She said and opened her mouth to take in a spoonful of cereal and milk.

"Speaking of losing control, have you guys had sex yet?" Chloe asked as offhandedly as possible.

Lois gulped hard in surprise and had to swallow as fast as possible in an effort to not lose her breakfast all over the TV. A coughing fit soon followed and by the time she had regained some composure, Chloe was laughing merrily.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"No, no," she coughed again and cleared her throat. "Chloe Sullivan, what the… No, I'm not going to answer that question." She put her bowl down on the coffee table and turned towards the small blonde that was practically bouncing next to her.

"Come on, Lo, really? You've been dating for almost a month. I'm sure I'm not the only one asking themselves that question. His parents are probably asking him the exact same thing." Chloe grabbed the control and turned off the TV. "So fess up. Have you seen Clark Jr. yet?" She wiggled her eyebrows and smiled mischievously.

"The Kents are old-fashioned. I'm sure they think Clark will wait until marriage to have sex." She countered.

"Well, I know better, Lane, and I know you." Chloe waggled a finger at her.

"But you also know Clark, he's pretty old-fashioned as well and a perfect gentleman. So, there, no sex." Lois glared at her and turned her attention back to her food.

"That must be killing you." Chloe said simply, watching her go still.

"Come on, what do you take me for?" She said between spoonfuls.

"A very passionate woman. You like him, don't you?" She saw her nod slowly. Something occurred to Chloe and she sat up straight. "Don't tell me you're scared of him. He'd never hurt you, you know."

"I know that, he wants to take it slow and so do I. If anything, I'm scared of getting too attached. You never know what can happen." She shoved another spoonful in her mouth and munched in silence.

Chloe stared at the sure, strong woman next to her and couldn't help but sigh. When had she turned into Dr. Love?

"Lois, can you really tell me that if all the magic wore off right now you'd have no feelings for him? Do you really think that it will go away with the magic?" She fixed her gaze on Lois and waited for her response. After what seemed like ages, Lois slowly turned her head towards her.

"Yes, it's killing me, okay? But I can feel what he feels, remember? It takes being conscious of the consequences of your actions to a whole new level. Just kissing him is intense, and I'm talking about an innocent peck on the cheek kind of thing. Guessing what a guy feels is one thing, knowing it… phew!" She occupied her mouth with more food.

"Hmm, I always thought Clark was such a goody-two-shoes. I guess it took you to bring that side out of him." She said that last part mostly to herself, but Lois heard.

"As Clark was very kind to point out, alien or not, he is still a guy."

Silence reigned for a couple of seconds as both women suddenly found themselves lost in their own thoughts.

For Chloe it was hard to imagine Clark feeling anything but butterflies for a girl. Her crush had never advanced to that level and now she could see why, what she felt for him was the equivalent of grade schooler's first love. Clark had always been prince charming in her head and after finding out his secret that pedestal had gotten so much higher.

He really was just a guy, though. She frowned at her belated realization; he was just a guy and she was his best friend. Her frown deepened when she understood how close she had been to ruining that. Clark still needed her as a friend and Lois would always need her cousin. Her face softened and she managed a smile before turning the TV on again.

Lois barely registered the sounds that suddenly filled the small living room, her mind still on the farm boy from Krypton. Never in her life had she met someone who completed her on so many levels. He was kind, good-hearted, and yet so full of maleness and passion. It was a deadly combination. As passionate as she was herself, she was more than happy to keep the intimacy a mystery for now. One could only handle so many good things at once. That thought reminded her of her previous conversation with Clark and she broke the silence she wasn't even aware had governed the space for a while.

"Before I forget, Smallville wanted to remind us of the Barbeque this afternoon."

"Oh, yeah. 4th of July on the Kent farm, sounds like a blast." Chloe smiled widely at Lois' face. "Really, whether you believe it or not, there is nothing like watching the fireworks over endless amber fields."

"Well, if it makes you that poetic, it might be worth my time." Lois feigned a smile, but couldn't help but feel excited over the celebration, even if it was just because she'd get to see the boy that went with the cornfields again.

* * *

Every year, the Kent farm pulled out all the stops and welcomed the neighbors to a barbeque to celebrate the 4th of July. It had been a long standing tradition that only took a break when Clark was a child and was still learning to control his strength. He had come a long way since then. Clark smiled at the thought as he hauled several bales of hay and placed them in strategic places around the front yard so they could function as benches.

His keen hearing caught the galloping of a horse closing in so he hunched over and pretended to have a hard time lifting a bale before looking up. Lana was riding towards him, a small smile on her face. She looked beautiful and he waited for the all too familiar longing and pain he felt when laying eyes upon her. It never came.

"Hi, Clark. Need any help for tonight?" She smiled sweetly and brushed an imaginary strand of hair behind her ear.

Clark managed a smile and a negative shake, his lack of emotions surprising a decent response from him. She stared at him, waiting for an audible response. He cleared his throat and put his thoughts into working order.

"No, we're fine. I'm just finishing up here."

"Oh" She didn't move but rather started smoothing out her horse's mane.

"I thought your aunt Nell had sold him." He said, pointing to her horse.

"Yeah, she did, but Mr. McNeill let's me ride him every once in a while. I miss riding." Her face became wistful and her smile was a bit contagious.

"You are pretty good. How many blue ribbons did you win?"

"Not that many." She laughed easily, then her eyes searched his and she let her laughter die off. His smile was genuine and a bit lazy, the nervousness and shyness she had come to love were nowhere to be seen.

"I really thought we had a chance, you know."

Her abrupt change of conversation surprised him and he found himself blinking stupidly. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Lana, I..,"

"It's okay," she interrupted him; "I guess it died before it even got a chance to live, huh?"

Clark felt himself nod as he took in her sad eyes. In another time and place he knew he'd be feeling guilt-ridden and would have tried to make her happy, even if just to see her smile. At that moment he felt nothing but pity for a relationship that never got its chance.

"I hope Lois makes you happy." She said as she turned to ride away.

"She does." He whispered and knew it was the truth.

* * *

Reviews? :)


	23. Chapter 23

**AN-Here´s chapter 23! Only two more to go. I know I have taken forever and I am so thankful for your loyalty, but I will finish this story. Enjoy and don`t forget to review!**

* * *

Professor Joseph Willowbrook stared in silence at the stack of books in front of him. He was nowhere near figuring out the why of the bracelet's magic and even less close to knowing how to stop it. It was meant to bring them together, but then what? He closed his eyes and just let his mind go; the answer was there, he was just too focused to see it. He didn't know how long he sat there, as if asleep, but suddenly an image took over his mind and he remembered.

He rushed to his attic and there, under a whole lot of boxes was a wooden crate. He had forgotten it was there; his father had given it to him as a teenager, and as such had just shoved it out of his life when rebellion hit. After the way was clear, he reached into it and found what he was looking for, a metal box with alien and Kawatche markings. The Kawatche he could read, 'Gift to Naman, year 2013'

"2013?" he couldn't help but mumble in confusion. He stood as straight as he could in the cramped space. He had done his part, the rest was up to Clark Kent.

* * *

The 4th of July Barbecue was a success. The food was great, people were having fun and the fireworks were due to fill the Kansas sky with bursts of color in less than an hour. Clark looked around his front yard in contentment, there was only one thing missing and if he was right, which he was, this missing piece was on her way. He walked over to the grill and stood next to his dad.

"Need any help?" Clark asked

"Yes, please take this plate to the buffet table." Jonathan motioned to the heaping plate of steaming hot patties and hot dogs beside him. Without a word Clark took them and headed for the large, rectangular table.

"Hey!" A soft voice came from behind him. He turned as soon as he put the plate on the table and faced Lana.

"Hey…" He smiled. "Glad you could make it!"

"It's the party of the year, and any excuse to eat Martha's cooking will have my presence." She smiled and reached for a paper plate.

"You and everyone else in this town. Mom does have the best…" He trailed off as a powerful feeling of jealousy took over, with just a hint of pain. He blinked and excused himself.

He quickly zoomed in on her, at least the back of her head, since she seemed to be on her way back to her car. He ran as quickly as he could without speeding and reached her before she could open the door.

"Lois," he caught her arm and turned her, momentarily forgetting what he was going to say at the sight of her in a red sundress. "you look..." Again he was cut off by her feelings, this time anger, and it reminded him of what he needed to say.

"What's going on, are you ok?" He forced his eyes to focus on her face.

"Superpowers, magic, a spell and still can't figure it out?" She crossed her arms, distracting him even further.

He shook his head and cleared his thoughts. Jealousy… "You're jealous."

"No, just angry." She lifted her chin.

He smiled as it dawned on him.

"Lana?"

She only narrowed her eyes.

"Come here." He said as he pressed her close, looked around and sped off.

She stepped away from him as soon as she could, finding herself in the barn. She took a deep breath and forced her heart rate to calm down.

"Look, I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to… Ugh, this sucks." She waved her arms in frustration.

"You know, Lana was the center of my world for so long, I…" He seemed conflicted. "What did you feel from me when you came in, Lois?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Uhm, you were happy, peaceful even."

"Exactly. What do you feel from me now?" He stepped closer and took her all in.

She blushed.

"Happier, like your heart is about to explode from your chest." Her eyes met his. "Like there's nothing but us right now." _Or is that me?_

Clark smiled widely, "No, it's not just you, Lois." He leaned in and brushed her lips lightly with his. "At first I wondered how I could have possibly have gotten over Lana so fast, then I saw you and I realized I never felt this for her. It was just a long crush and she's nice, I do like her, but not like you. Never like you."

She smiled and pulled him down with as much strength as she could muster. He met her halfway, capturing her mouth in a series of soft, lip-pulling kisses. She moaned against his mouth, kick-starting their bodies and all that was left was a need to be as close as possible.

Her hands pulled at his hair, his hands headed south, caressing every available inch. Every sane thought fled his mind and all he could think of was reaching the couch.

"Clark," she moaned between kisses and let herself be led.

"Lois." He responded with a wicked smile she didn't know he had. She saw the couch behind him and pushed him down.

He stared up at her, his eye intense orbs that seemed to devour her. They blended again, she couldn't tell where her feelings ended and his began. A full body shiver ran up her body as everything hit her at once. So much need, so much love, too much. She blinked and the connection was lost.

"What happened?" Clark asked worriedly as he stood in front of her.

"It was too much. I... Did you feel it?" She asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," he chuckled "intense, huh?"

"You can say that again." She hugged him close and took in his smell. It calmed her down and riled her up at the same time.

"You're not helping, Lois." he groaned.

"Just hug me, you idiot." She felt him smile against her hair and his whole being filled with peace and joy. Intense was the new normal for them now, she just had to get used to it.

They stood them for a while, until he pulled away. "Someone's coming." He smiled mischievously and pointed at the stairs.

Chloe appeared with a very happy Elena behind her.

"Elena!" Lois called and ran for her friend.

"Clark called me and told me about this party, had some free time so I came. Everything going great, I believe?" She wagged her eyebrows and they laughed. They talked for a while until the fireworks started. The four of them went to the window to watch. Lois put Clark's arm around her and hugged him.

She looked at her cousin, her best friend and Clark. She had no idea what the future held, but for now, this moment, she had all she wanted.


	24. Chapter 24

**New chapter! Read and review. Thanks Mary!**

* * *

Martha watched as Clark went around the yard picking up trash, as he whistled and flirted with Lois. The guests were gone, only Lois, Elena and Chloe had lingered to help with the clean up. She turned as she felt strong arms envelop her in a hug, smiling against her husband chest.

"He looks so happy." She said, backing up a little to look up into Jonathan´s face.

"Yes, he does, so why the long face?"

"They are so young, I can´t help but feel that it's all moving too quickly. Remember when we were like that?" She pointed at the couple just as Clark stopped what he was doing and stole a tender kiss from Lois. She, in turn, blushed and said something that made him laugh.

Jonathan frowned. "Weren´t we planning on getting married?"

"Exactly, they are way too comfortable with each other, they`ve skipped too many steps." She sighed and reached for the platters on the table in front of them.

"Not skipped, Martha. This ´spell´ just rushed things. I´ll talk to Clark about slowing things down." He reassured her.

"They are in each other´s head, Jonathan, I don´t know how much he is capable of slowing anything down." With one last look at the couple in question, she walked up the porch, hands full.

"Here, let me help." Jonathan rushed for the door and opened it for her. He´d deal with Clark later, for now, it was time to pick up.

"Elena looks like she´s about to fall asleep standing. I really need to take her home." Lois said to Clark, who was raking the trash next to the barn.

"Can´t Chloe take her? I´ll take you later. As soon as they are gone I´ll clean, my way, and buy us some alone time. How does that sound?" He stopped what he was doing and reached for her.

Lois laughed and put her arms against his chest to stop the coming kiss, Clark leaned in anyway and managed to kiss her cheek. She playfully swatted at him, before grinning like an idiot and settling comfortably in his arms.

"I really have to go, so stop tempting me. She flew all the way from London to see me, I can´t dump her on Chloe. I´ll see you tomorrow, okay?" She tried to step away, but he held her firmly against him. His eyes brightened, like some genius idea had just occurred to him.

"You can both stay here." At her raised brows he hastily added, "I´ll take the couch."

She reached up and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "But then you´ll have to clean the slow way and won´t get any sleep tonight." She pointed out.

He pushed her hair away from her brow and stared intently into her eyes. "I won´t be getting any either way, but with you nearby…" he shrugged, unable to finish his thought.

"I´m in your head, remember? Any closer and we´ll merge into one!" She started to laugh at her own joke when his feelings hit her like a semi truck. She pushed away and narrowed her eyes at him. "Seriously?" His face didn`t betray his thoughts and she just stared at him until wide smile parted his lips. He winked and let her go.

"Seriously, you can´t go around saying things like that and not expect some sort of deviant thoughts. In any planet you put me in, I am male." He couldn´t help but chuckle when she blinked rapidly in shock.

"Clark Kent, who would have thought you were capable of being so blunt? If I didn`t have the full download of ´the many layered feelings of Clark Kent´ I´d think you were on red Kryptonite!"

He grabbed her hand and led her back to her friend and cousin with a wide grin on his face.

"Nah, no red Kryptonite, I just need you."

* * *

Bright morning rays shone into the kitchen, giving it a warm, orange glow. Clark whistled as he practically bounded down the stairs. The titillating smells of bacon, eggs and syrup drenched pancakes making his mouth water. _One more thing to be thankful for today_, he mused.

"Good morning! You know, Mom, after last night no one would blame you for giving us cereal and fruit." He said even as he put a piece of crispy bacon in his mouth.

"Believe it or not, Clark, your father prepared all this." Her proud smile lit up the whole kitchen.

"Way to go, Dad! And not half bad." With that he sat and piled his plate.

Jonathan smiled, and then looked at Martha meaningfully.

"Son, there is also something we wanted to talk to you…" Three knocks at the front door interrupted his intended speech.

Clark rose and Jonathan made for the entrance. Martha put up her hand to stop them both.

"Eat, I´ll get that."

A tall dark figure darkened the doorway; he turned slightly, allowing the sun to shine through and give Martha visibility.

"Joseph!" She exclaimed as she recognized the visitor and opened the door. "What a wonderful surprise. Come in, we were just having breakfast, would you like to join us?" She stood aside to let him in, taking his hat and motioning him to the kitchen.

"Thanks, but no. I´ve already had breakfast and I´m on my way to Edge City for a conference. I just needed to drop something off first." He smiled at Jonathan and Clark before greeting them. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Professor, what brings you to our doorstep?" Jonathan shook his hand and pulled out a chair for him. Joseph looked at him uncertainly, and then decided to sit.

"I found something that belongs to you, Clark." Without wasting any more time he pulled a small, rectangular box from his leather portfolio. He placed it carefully on the table before him, almost ceremoniously. The Kawatche and Kryptonian symbols engraved on it almost shimmered when the sunlight hit upon them.

He had their undivided attention now.

"This is how the bracelet was given to us, in this box. Somewhere along the line it became forgotten, I had never connected the two until now." He traced the Kawatche marking on top. "Apparently you were supposed to receive this and its content much further down the road. 2013, to be exact. I could only read the Kawatche, maybe the other markings will tell you more."

He looked at the trio around the table. Martha was deep in thought, Jonathan´s face showed confusion and a bit of frustration. Clark just stared.

Joseph Willowbrook stood. "I bid you goodbye and good luck." He turned on his heel and walked away, not waiting for their reaction.

By the time Martha looked up the professor was gone. What would this new artifact bring upon her family?

* * *

Lois was lingering in bed like she hadn´t in a long while. She had stayed up late talking to Elena and Chloe. Apparently good gossip was enough to keep jet-lag induced sleep at bay. She turned and looked at her bedside clock. 11:45. It was almost noon and she was still in bed. A lazy smile touched her lips before snuggling back in bed. She felt her eyes start to close again, a deep sleepy sigh escaping her mouth. She was so close to falling asleep again when she suddenly remembered what had woken her up. "Clark" she couldn´t help but exclaim as she sat upright in bed. Something was wrong; she couldn´t feel him.

_Clark?_ She sent out, but no response came. She looked at the clock again. How long had she been awake just staring at the ceiling? She hadn't felt him when she woke up, his cheerful disposition while doing his chores or his steely determination when training had been absent. She threw the covers aside and dressed hastily.

_Smallville, you better answer me or I swear, all of the meteor freaks you´ve encountered will have nothing on the suffering I will bring on your farmer ass! Clark!_

She reached for her car keys and headed out into the living room. She had to find him. After having him so long in her head, this silence was unnerving, almost horrifying.

_Clark, please. Are you okay?_ She pleaded, hoping like never before that her thoughts would reach him through the space that separated them. She headed straight for the door when a sense of confusion flooded through her.

_Clark? _She stopped, frozen, hand poised over the knob. Hope rose quickly within her.

_Lois._ She almost fainted from relief

_Damn you, Clark Kent. What happened, are you okay? _ Her sense of wrongness intensified as his feeling of frustration and annoyance filled her.

_Not sure, Lois. Are you at the apartment?_

_Yeah_

_I´ll be there in a minute, we need to talk._

She headed back to the living room, remembered the couch was occupied, and then sat on one of the kitchen stools. Something was most definitely wrong.

_I guess the shoe has finally decided to drop._


End file.
